B5 Wars Campaign Rules V5.

0
Admirals Game Set Up
The admirals game set up is one where the major powers start with more resources and abilities
than the minor powers. Each empire is further modified by the addition of racial modifications that
affects what they each start with. This particular version of the game is essentially an alternate
form of the B5 universe in which exploration is very prevalent. The League of Non-aligned Worlds
has been formed and there is a good deal of diplomatic maneuvering. The game is set at the
beginning of the B5 television series In addition to the basic races that the players will be playing,
there will be other races involved in the game. The first ones are still out there along with
previously unknown races.
Available races in the game include:
Hurr Republic
Ipsha Baronies
Kor-Lyan Kingdom
Llort
Markab Theocracy
Minbari Federation
Minbari Protectorate
Narn Regime
Pak Ma Ra
Torata Regency
Vree Conglomerate

Abbai Matriachate
Alacans
Balosian Underdwellers
Brakiri Syndicracy
Belt Alliance
Centauri Republic
Corillani Theocracy
Descari Committees
Drazi Freehold
Earth Alliance
Gaim Intelligence
Grome Autocracy

Minor Powers usually start with 15,000 Credits, 12,500 units of ores and 50 Q-40. Each empire is
given an allotment of Ship Yard Construction points in which they use to purchase their
shipyards. Minor powers get 18 points and major powers get 27 points. A small construction dock
is worth 1 point, a medium 2 points and a large 4 points. These paints cannot be saved for later. In
addition they each get 1 large factory, 2 medium factories, 1 large training center and one star
base (with half of its fighter compliment) to disperse throughout the initial systems. The Starbase
must be located at the home world. It also has 3 starting systems; a home world, a developed
system and a mineral rich system. The major powers (Earth, Minbari, Centari and Narn) receive 3
additional systems and an additional star base (which must be the smallest available). Two will be
developed systems and the other system will be randomly selected. In addition they get 50% more
Credits and Ores.
New players can only be added to the game between completed turns, subject to GM approval.
They are given a single system (a home world) and the same starting resources of the other
players. The empire is considered to be a minor power, and it has a single jump gate built in their
home system. If an empire loses all of its territories, the player may be given one of the
campaigns NPC empires to play. If the remains of an empire are just fleets, they may not colonize
any more systems within the scope of the campaign.

Fleet Captain Option

Under the Fleet Captain Option, everyone who is involved in the campaign (and is willing)
normally gets a chance to participate in every battle that is fought. There are exceptions to this,
mostly due to number of ships involved in an encounter. The players that are directly involved in
the conflict (referred to as Captains) will receive an equal amount of players from the available
player pool to command ships in the conflict. The GM will determine teams, mostly to save
inexperienced players from being picked last every time. Ships must be split as evenly as possible
and in the event that a Captain refuses to do so, the GM will step in and distribute the ships.
At the beginning of the combat turn the Captain issues orders to his fellow players and they
attempt to carry them out to their best abilities. If communications are disrupted during a battle,
the Captain will not be allowed to issue orders to the disrupted unit.

Planets and Systems

In the B5 Wars campaign there will be a lot of systems to explore and to control. The typical star
map should be 48 by 48 and is plotted on standard graph paper. Each square is considered a
parsec. Systems can only be present at whole point coordinates. To simplify things each system is
give ratings in production based on what type of world the inhabited planet is. In addition each
system has a chance to contain ancient ruins, asteroid belts, and other stellar phenomena. The
stats of each system is expressed in Economy, Ores, Q-40, Maintenance Points and Defense.
The more systems that an empire controls the more powerful it becomes.
Economy is the amount of universal credits that a system generates for the controlling player.
Credits are used to hire raiders and buy technology, supplies, information and ships. This sum
represents only a portion of the economy that the player can utilize.
Chance for Ruins represents the random chance that the controlling player will discover alien
ruins within a system. This is rolled by the GM using a D20 when the system is discovered an
empire. A successful roll indicates that ruins are present and are discovered. They can be
researched. Unfortunately, such discoveries soon become public knowledge once a jump gate is
established and foreign interest may be generated in the newly acquired world.
Maintenance Points are the amount of logistical supply normally allocated from the taxes that the
system can normally provide to maintain the players fleets. Ships and bases have a maintenance
requirement equal to twenty percent of the point value. Fighters require maintenance equal to ten
percent of their point value. O-SATs require five percent of their point value as maintenance.
Additional maintenance points can be purchased with credits. Supply depots can be raided or
destroyed by enemy units.
Failure to provide enough maintenance points for fleets result in diminished performance in battle
and limits repairs. Task forces furthest away from supply depots and friendly systems feel the
impact first. The player should select vessels to count as un-maintained until the deficit points are
made up. All ships in unmaintained task forces suffer the following penalties:

Thruster Ratings of all thrusters are reduced by 1 point.

Hanger Bay operations take twice as long.

Weapons that require ammo must roll each time they fire to see if that was the last round of
ammo. The player should roll a D10 and should the die come up as 1, the ship is out of
ammo. Each engagement after the first increases the chance by 1.

Missile Launchers and other weapons that track ammo do not get reloaded until the ship
reaches a base or a supply vessel.

Jump delay is increased by 10% (round fractions up)

Critical hits gain a bonus to the die roll equal to the number of strategic turns that the
maintenance requirements have not been met.

Ore Deposits represents raw material collected at the mines in the system, which is converted
into useable materials to build bases, ships, and facilities. Ore deposits in a system have a rating
to determine how long they will last. This rating is determined by the GM and can be one of 5
ratings; Few, Good, Average, Abundant and Rich. The system type also determines how quickly
the ore can be mined and how much is available.
Q-40 is the rare and valuable Quantum 40 ore that is used in jump gate and Jump drive
production. The amount used is determined by the ship size. It takes 1 Q-40 for a medium ships
jump drive, 2 for a Heavy Combat vessel, 3 for a capitol ships, 5 for an enormous ship and 10 for
a jump gate. Much like ore, Q-40 deposits are given a rating and the system type also determines
how quickly the Q-40 is mined and how much is available.
Unlike ore, Q-40 may not be present in every system encountered. The GM determines if Q-40
deposits exist by roll a D10. On a roll of 1-4, Q-40 deposits are in the system. Any other result
indicates that Q-40 is unavailable in a system. Mineral Rich systems add a bonus of -1 to the roll.
Mineral Deposit Modifier represents a modifier to the roll the GM makes to determine what the
rating of the mineral deposit is. A roll is made separately for Ore and Q-40.
Defense is the maximum number of troop units that would normally occupy the planet type to
defend it from invasion. This number can be increased during times of war without much penalty,
but can bring penalties to Civil Unrest if a military build up occurs without reason. Starting
systems always come with maximum amount of units.
A player is considered to own a newly discovered system if he or she has the only fleet in the
system and an operational jump gate is constructed in the system. Once a jump gate is
constructed, the empire may collect production from it and build facilities in the system. At anytime
the empire may land troops on the newly discovered system. To construct a jump gate the player
needs to send a jump gate construction team to the system. If a system is owned by another
empire, it must be conquered. Through diplomacy two or more players can share a system and its
production value. A system that is blockaded cannot generate production for the controlling player.
There are 7 basic types of planets; Agricultural, Barren, Developed, Home World, Mineral
Rich, Terrestrial and uninhabitable. Each planet type has its own generalized stats.
Uninhabitable planets are usually unstable and unsafe to be of any use unless terraformed and
thus are not given stats. Sometimes conditions exist that will naturally modify these stats such as
planet size.
Economy
Maintenance
Ore Production Rate
Q-40 Production
Rate
Mineral Deposit
Modifier
Chance of Ruins
Defense

Agricultural
D3 x 100
650
D3 x 50

Barren
D6 x 50
350
D6 + 2 x 100

Developed
D6 +2 x 100
1,500
D6 x 50

Home World
D6 + 4 x100
4,000
D6 x 100

Mineral Rich
D6 x 100
500
D6 + 3 x 100

Terrestrial
D3 x 100
1,000
D6-1 x 50

D3

D6

+1

-1

+2

1-3
30

1-12
20

1
40

NA
50

1-5
20

1-6
40

Generally a system has one planet that is useable due to atmospheric conditions or instability.
Sometimes there will be a 2nd planet that is also useable. A second habitable planet in a system
has normal production for its type. The GM determines what planets are useable for colonies.
Agricultural Planets are ones with abundant plant life and conditions are prime for
farming. They could also be aquatic planets. Such planets are often sought after because
of the amount of food production capability they add to an empire.
Asteroid Colonies are used exclusively by the Belt Alliance corporate structure. Such
colonies consist of small inhabitations along asteroids and as such have their own unique
stats. See the Racial Enhancement Section for specific details.
Barren Planets are virtually devoid of plant and animal life and most empires can only
inhabit them by creating enviro-domes or other such structures. Some posses a high level
of seismic activity or an extremely hostile environment and this limits the inhabitability of the
planet. They are generally rich in mineral deposits but require regular food shipments. If the
system or planet is ever blockaded the population begins starve. Mars would be an
example of planets of this type.
Developed Planets are usually ones where sentient life exists. Typically these races have
little to no space faring capability. Their tech level is usually no higher than earth of the 19th
century. Interaction and acceptance into an existing empire is left to the GM. Some races
have different ways of integrating species. The Minbari for example offer protection in
exchange for exclusive trading rights. Developed worlds can also be ones that have a high
population and a strong economic and industrial base. These worlds are valued by empires
because of their existing industrial structure.
Home World Planets are unique to each player race in the campaign. They can never be
naturally found. These planets represent the highest level of industrial and population
bases in the campaign.
Mineral Rich Planets are similar to barren planets, since they are usually hostile and
virtually uninhabitable. Such planets contain very rich mineral deposits and have the
highest chance of having Q-40 deposits. They are highly prized by empires for this reason.
Terrestrial Planets are planets that are similar to Earth, but without the abundant
humanoids. These worlds can easily support a large population.
Uninhabitable Planets are just that, uninhabitable. Their atmospheres are poisonous, they
can have high levels of volcanic or seismic activity and they contain no life what so ever.
They could have once been home to a thriving colony or a race that has long since
perished.
Systems that have been taken by force produce only half their normal production amount and risk
having their production values permanently lowered if the system was subjected to planetary
bombardment. Systems that surrender produce their full production amount for the conquering
empire.

Mineral Deposit Ratings

As noted in the section on Systems, every mineral deposit has a rating that determines how much
resources are available. Generally Q-40 deposits last half as long as the same rating of ore
deposits. Each deposit has a rating of Poor, Good, Average, Abundant or Rich. The rating
determines how many turns a deposit will produce at full capacity without checking to see if the
deposit becomes exhausted. Once a deposit becomes exhausted it still has a chance at producing
minerals but at half the original rate for an additional number of turns equal to half of the standard
life of the deposit. The game master section contains the complete mineral deposit Information
table.
Poor mineral deposits generally last for 6 months and have the greatest chance of becoming
exhausted when their life span has been reached.
Good mineral deposits last for a little over a year and is the lowest deposit found in a mineral rich
system.
Average mineral deposits are the most common deposits found in the campaign and they have a
long life span of 2 years. Even beyond their life span there is a good chance that the deposit will
continue to produce resources.
Abundant mineral deposits are rare in the campaign and are the most highly sought after since
their lifespan is almost beyond the scope of the campaign. They also have a very good chance of
continued production even if the deposit becomes exhausted.
Rich mineral deposits do not run out, unless they are Q-40 and even then they have a very long
lifespan. They are the rarest of resource deposits in the campaign and will be the most fought over.

Developed System Upgrades

A developed system is the best possible system achievable in a campaign. Any system, given
enough time and effort can be upgraded into a developed system. Usually terraforming a system
is a good start. Establishing trade routes is another. Trade routes encourage growth as does
enacting social improvements. All these things combined contribute points to the systems
upgrade, which must be tracked by the Game Master. The type of system determines how many
points are required to upgrade it. A Terrestrial system needs 75, Agricultural 120, Mineral Rich
250 and Barren 300. There are also random events and triggered events that can increase of
decrease points earned through the upgrade process. Some events can wipe out a system
completely or reduce its value.
Action
Completed Terraforming
Enacted Social Improvements
Trade Routes Established

System Upgrade Point Values

Points
+20
+1 per 5,000 Credits
+5 per trade route established

As the system begins to improve the GM may award smalls increases to system stats to show that
the Empires efforts are making a difference in the system. Increases will first show up as a bonus
to funds generated and then to maintenance.

Economics
Credits are used in just about every aspect of the game since they factor into ship construction,
research, maintenance, information gathering, ship purchases and more. Credits are generated at
every system that an empire owns and through trade routes established with other empires and
can also be gained by selling stuff to other empires.
Credits represent the universal value of the Empires currency on the galactic market. The overall
value can change during the course of the campaign and is represented by a modifier that
increases or decreases the value of the credits when used with another empire. Every turn an
empire is considered to be losing a war with another empire, its currency devalues 1D6%. Losing
a war against a major power doubles the devaluation unless both empires involved in the conflict
are major powers. Random and triggered events may also affect the value of an empires credits.
It is possible to purchase completed ships from another empire. The Gaim outfitted most of their
navy this way. Actual price will vary, but should be approximately equal to one or two times the
point value of the vessels. A purchased vessel must be moved in the following turn(s) towards the
empire who just bought it. The vessel (and the funds) does not change hands until it reaches the
new owners space.
An empire may purchase raw research (RPs) from another willing race. Such purchase will only
result in half the actual value of RPs sold since not all technologies are compatible and empires
may use the research for something else. It is entirely up to the two empires involved as to what
affair price is. A good general guideline is 100 credits per RP.
Ore and Q-40 may be purchased for use in ship construction. Ore bought from third parties costs
20 credits per unit of ore. Q-40 can also be purchased at 500 credits per unit and is only available
in very limited quantities of D6 per turn for the campaign as a whole. Competing empires should
roll a D20 to determine who gets to buy first and this roll is modified by +1 per 50 additional credits
the empire is willing to pay per unit. High roll gets to buy first. Empires may purchase ore or Q-40
from each other at a cost that is negotiated between them.
An empire may also sell their ore and Q-40 on the open market. Ore sold in this way earns the
empire 10 credits per unit of ore sold. Q-40 is extremely sought after and is sold for 500 credits
per unit. Every 3 units of Q-40 sold to the open market increases the total amount of Q-40
available in the following turn to the players by +1.

Trade Routes
Each trade route established with a foreign power generates a bonus of 10% of the credits that a
system produces for both empires each turn. Trade routes must be negotiated and each system
can only support two trade routes with the exception of a home world that can support 4.
Distances can affect how long it takes for income to start accumulating from a trade route. The
actual routes distance needs to be measured and travel time is calculated. The result is the
number of additional turns needed before any income is generated and also a bonus (1% per 8
parsecs away) in the trade route income. In addition, trade routes automatically let the empires
involved know defenses, and sometimes the overall plans of the trading systems. Empires may
not maintain trade routes with any empire that is at war with them.

Jump Gates
Jump gate technology is the single most important discovery in the B5 universe. Without the
technology it would take ships years to travel from one system to another. Each jump gate
contains a limited number of beacons that guide ships through hyperspace. A ship locks onto the
beacon and follows it to the destination. It is not uncommon for systems to contain multiple jump
gates because of the limited number of beacons. It is preferable to use a jump gate as opposed to
creating a vortex because hyperspace is difficult to navigate and ships can become lost if they are
too far off the hyperspace lane. Use of a jump gate by a foreign government requires the
government to pay a small fee for each ship that travels through it. The actual fee is left to the
controlling player to decide the amount but generally the fees should range from 1 credit to 10
credits, and no more than 20 credits. Fees can also be waived as part of a treaty. In the campaign
use of a jump gate doubles a task forces movement through hyperspace. See the Fleet
Movement section for rules.

Jump Gate Construction

In the actual B5 universe most systems have jump gates that were constructed by empires during
their exploration or by races long since forgotten. In the campaign setting players must construct
their own jump gates. Jump Gates require 10 Quantum-40 units, 1,000 ore units and 2,000 credits
to construct. It takes 4 turns to fully construct a normal sized jump gate. Temporary jump gates
used by Earth Force are constructed in half the time and cost half as much to build but are only
operational for a total of 12 turns. After that they require an allotment of 150 maintenance points
for their upkeep.

Jump Gate Construction Teams

Each empire is given a free Jump Gate construction team, which is composed of several cargo
carrying ships, a single jump ship and a lot of workers. These ships are often prime targets for
raiders since they carry a lot of Q-40. Additional jump gate construction teams can be assembled
out of the civilian population but the economic cost can be great if the team is constantly in
danger. Construction teams move as per the standard fleet movement rules. Multiple teams do
not decrease construction time.
Each turn that an Empire is seeking a construction team, roll 1D10. On a Result of 5 or less one is
available and can be hired for 250 credits a turn. The GM may modify this roll by +1 if there has
been raider attacks in the area or +3 if the last construction team was destroyed. Additionally the
empire can offer more money to offset penalties and to increase the changes to find a team. Each
additional 50 credits that are added to the base pay lowers the die roll by 1.

Shutting Down Beacons

Without the beacons hyperspace can become a dangerous place to navigate. Numerous explorer
ships have been lost through the ages because of this. Sometimes due to invasion an empire will
decide to deactivate its hyperspace beacons so that their systems cannot be found. When this
happens it cuts off the system from the rest of hyperspace traffic. Beacons can only be shut off at
the end of a turn. It is possible to find a system once its hyperspace beacon has been shut down.
Fleets in hyperspace may roll a D20 against their sensor rating. If the number is equal to or less
than their senor rating the system has been located. Minbari vessels may add a 1 to the roll and
first one vessels may subtract 5. If the invading race is unfamiliar with the system then the base
target is equal to half their sensor rating.

Production Facilities
Each empire has production facilities that build their ships, fighters and ordinance used in the
battles that will come. Production facilities must be constructed and require maintenance like
combat vessels to maintain. Players do not normally need to construct civilian transports for use in
trade routes, supply lines or standard cargo movement within the empire. Shipyards, Factories
and Training Centers are examples of production facilities. Production facilities must be located
on an inhabitable planet, with the exception of shipyards that are constructed in space.
Production facilities, like shipyards and factories, have a limited number of production points that
they can produce in a turn. A ship, fighter or OSAT uses a number of production points equal to its
ramming value. Fighter missiles and standard mines have a production point cost of 1 point.
Captor mines and any ship missile require 2 production points each. DEW mines require a
number of production points equal to their structure. Divide the point value of the unit being
constructed in half (round up) to determine the cost in credits and ores. Basic missiles cost 1
credit and 1 unit of ores each. As an option, empires can build 3 light missiles for the cost of a
single basic missile. Light Missiles score 12 points of damage and have a range of 15.

Factories
Factories construct the missile, mines, GROPOs vehicles, and fighters deployed by the vessels
during the course of the campaign. Factories come in large, medium and small. Each factorys
production value indicates how many production points worth of equipment a turn. Factories can
be captured or even destroyed during a planetary assault. Like shipyards they maybe retooled.
Factory information Chart
Class

Items produced

Small
Medium

Mines and missiles

Fighter, shuttles. OSATs,
Mines and missiles
Super Fighters, LCVs
Fighters, shuttles. Mines,
O-SATs and missiles

Large

Production
Value

Maintenance Cost

Build Cost

Build time

100

1 points

25 Ore + 50 credits

1 turns

200

5 points

50 Ore + 100 credits

2 turns

300

10 points

150 Ore + 250 credits

3 turns

Shipyards
A shipyard is a collection of individual ship construction docks at a specific location a construct the
starships that an empire uses. Each construction dock is purchased separately, but the players
may track the shipyard as a single unit to simply record keeping. Construction docks come in
large, medium and small. A dock is limited in the size of vessel that it can produce and regardless
of size produced a base of 50 production points worth construction units a turn.
Ship Construction Dock information Chart
Class

Vessel classes produced

Maintenance Cost

Build Cost

Build time

Small
Medium
Large

LCVs, Medium vessels

LCVs, Medium, HCVs
HCVs, Capital and Enormous ships

20 points
25 points
40 points

125 Ore + 250 credits

250 Ore + 500 credits
600 Ore + 1,500 credits

2 turns
4 turns
8 turns

Shipyards can be captured or destroyed. If a shipyard is captured it may produce any of the ships
that it originally manufactured once the technology has been studied and understood. Research
Point costs are halved on Speed and Ship Enhancement technology that has been already
9

developed by the former owners. An empire may not retool his original shipyards to make any of
the captured designs. Captured shipyards must be retooled before they can construct ships of the
empire that captured it. It takes the time to retool a shipyard as it does to build one. Minimum
time is 1 turn.
When a ship is being constructed there is the option of replacing a number of shuttles for
breaching pods at a slight increase in cost. This cost must be paid by the shipyard, which is
constructing the ship. The point cost difference is paid in credits.

Training Centers
Training centers produce Marine units at the cost of 10 credits per unit. Unlike shipyards and
factories, training centers produce a specific number of units per turn. Empires must still pay for
these units. A captured training center cannot be used to train units.
Training Center information Chart
Class

Units produced

Number produced

Maintenance Cost

Build Cost

Build time

Small
Medium
Large

Marine
Marine
Marine or Agents

1 per turn
2 per turn
4 per turn

1 points
5 points
15 points

30 Ore + 75 credits
50 Ore + 125 credits
200 Ore + 200 credits

1 turns
2 turns
3 turns

Ships may carry marine units. Each assault shuttle allows a vessel to carry 1 marine unit and each
breeching pod allows 2 marine units to be carried. Normal assault ship compliment of marines are
automatically removed from the nearest garrison once a vessel is constructed. Vessels with cargo
holds may use them to transport units. Finally each ship may carry a number of marine units equal
to 1% of its point value (round up).

Decommissioning Production Units

An unneeded shipyard, factory or training center may be decommissioned during the course of the
campaign. It requires time equal to one half of the construction time (rounded up) to
decommission a production facility. Once the decommissioning is completed the empire can leave
the shipyard where it is or destroy it. The former allows it to be recommmsioned as vessels but
with the 2 turns of reactivation procedures.

Base Construction
Starbases are constructed similar to starships, using their ramming value as the base production
point requirement. Construction teams build bases at a rate of 100 production points a turn. Once
constructed a base will automatically be sent the minimum marine units that normally come with it
from nearby planetary garrisons. Only one base may be present in any given combat zone.

10

Fleet Construction
Empires will have to construct fleets if they want to go anywhere in the game. During the Initial
Actions Step players determine what their shipyards will produce that turn. Construction of a
single vessel cannot be split between shipyards and any ships under construction in a shipyard
that is destroyed are lost. A combat unit cost is equal to its point value in Economic Points. Half
of this cost is paid in ores and half of the cost is paid in credits. At the end of the turn, ship
construction is completed.

Initial Composition
Each empire starts with a small fleet to protect its territory and to strike at the other empires. This
fleet is equal to half of the available maintenance points. Starting fleets do not consider economic
cost when constructed, but do use the Construction Limitations and Deployment Limitations.
In addition each empire must have its ships outfitted with at least half of their fighter compliment.

Ship Construction Limitations

A variant of a ship may be more effective in battle, they often have construction and support
difficulties that cannot be represented in the tactical game. To represent this many variants are
assigned a rarity type which limits how many can be constructed. This only applies to
construction, not deployment. If an empire wanted they could group all ships of the same variants
into one fleet.
An uncommon variant is limited to no more than one in every three of that vessel class. A rare
ship is limited to one in nine and takes the place of an uncommon selection. Thus, in any 6 ships
of a chosen class only two of them can be uncommon and one of those two may be rare; the
others must be common types. Some ships have a rarity listing of Specialty which is considered
a rare ship for purposes of other variants. Specialty ships also follow additional rules on numbers
that may be fielded and usually are only permitted to be constructed under special conditions or
limited to how many can be produced during the campaign.

Deployment Restrictions
Some vessels have a deployment restriction that is listed in Ships of the Fleet. These
deployment restrictions will be followed. Each of the three classes of restrictions are considered
separate from each other. A vessel with limited deployment can only account for 33% of the total
combat value of ships, bases and fighters. A vessel that is considered restricted may only account
for 10% of the total. For example, a 30,000 point Centauri Fleet could contain only 3,000 points of
Restricted vessels and 10,000 points of Limited vessels. The point value of all units (Base, OSAT,
Ship, Fighters) are used to determine the deployment restrictions.

11

Economic Point Cost

The point cost shown on ship, fighter or base control sheets represent the units combat abilities. It
does not reflect how difficult it is to build or acquire the unit. To represent this, some units are
given an economic increase to their costs. This cost is applied equally to the amount of ores and
credits that the ship requires to be spent so that it can be constructed. However, this increase
does not apply to a units battle value when combat occurs.
Economic Point Costs
Ship or Fighter Type

Economic Point Increase

Earth Alliance Explorer

ELINT Vessels
Hybrid technology
Modified ship design (optional)
Modified ship design w/foreign technology (optional)
Stealth units and those with chameleon sensors
Vessel is prototype

+50%
+25%
+25%
+100%
+150%
+33%
+200%

Decommissioning Vessels
A vessel of fighter flight may be decommissioned during the course of the campaign. The crew
may be transferred to another ship of a similar type but may take reductions in experience
collected. It takes one full turn to decommission a vessel. Bases and O-SATs are never
decommissioned, they are destroyed when they are no longer needed.
Decommissioned vessels can also be sold to other races or mothballed for re-commissioning at a
later time. Usually weapon systems are stripped off a vessel before it is sold to another race. A
vessel cannot be mothballed until it has served more than 26 turns in a campaign. Mothballed
vessels cost nothing to maintain but a location must be recorded. Reactivation of a vessel requires
1 full turn during which they must be maintained. If the shipyard is attacked while the vessel is
undergoing reactivation the crew status is considered to be that of tactically surprised.

Pre-existing Mothballed Fleets (Optional)

Some empires such as the Minbari and the Centauri Republic have a large number of ships
mothballed from either out of date vessels or unneeded ships. In a time of war an empire can
reactive these units to serve. This may only be done only once and only when the empire is in a
state of war and only certain units can be activated in this fashion. In addition the ships activated
may not exceed a third of the maximum maintenance allowance for the empire.

12

Advanced Structures (Optional)

Advanced structures are buildings that players can build that will give their systems some special
ability or enhancement. Some of these structures will only be allowed in specific system types and
may give special bonuses to some empires.
Advanced Flight Training Center allows and empire to train expert fighter officers. These
facilities cost 1,000 credits and 400 units of ore to construct and have a maintenance requirement
of 50 points and 200 credits every turn of operation and operates as a medium fighter base
(including the defense cost requirement). It takes 6 turns to build this facility and it can be
constructed on any type of system. Fighter pilots undergo advanced training at this location and
every 6 turns a new expert fighter officer will be produced.
Entertainment Centers are large universal attractions available on any terrestrial, developed or
home world systems and are similar to theme park attractions. Such a facility requires 2,500
credits and 750 units of ore to construct with a construction time of 18 turns. Once in operation,
the facility generates additional funds for the empire based on the popularity of the attraction. The
GM should roll a D10 for the initial popularity. Since nobody really understands Drazi
entertainment, they receive a 2 to the initial test. Every 6 turns another D10 will be roll and on a
result of 1-3 the popularity increases, on a 4-7 the popularity stays the same and on an 8-10 the
popularity decreases. Each turn the empire receives an amount of credits equal to the popularity
multiplied by 10. Xenophobic empires, such as the Minbari, are not permitted to build such
facilities.
Intelligence Centers are only available on developed or home world planets and are limited to
one per system. Any race can build them and they cost 1,000 credits and 500 units of ore to
construct and has a maintenance requirement of 30 points. The construction time is 4 turns.
Intelligence centers are used for training agents to advance their skills or to train them for specific
missions. An agent can train at the center and earn a single experience point for every 4
campaign turns that he trains. An agent can also train for completion of a single mission using
various simulators and information gathered by other intelligence operatives. Any type of mission
can be prepared for in this fashion with the exception of Counter Intelligence. Each turn of mission
preparation grants the agent a 1 bonus to his success roll and the agent may only prepare for a
number of turns equal to his skill rating that will be utilized on the mission.
Commerce Centers are centers for trade and can be utilized on any type of colonized planet,
however only one may be built in any system. This center allows a system to have extra trade
routes and requires 2 turns to construct. The cost is 500 credits and 500 units of ores. The bonus
is an additional trade route on all systems. Developed and home world systems gain two
additional trade routes. In addition commerce centers in home systems earn established trade
routes a bonus of 2% to trade income. Vree Commerce centers gain a bonus of an extra trade
route on all systems.
Officer Training Schools are advanced military training centers that can be utilized to train the
best of the best and create elite officers. The facility costs 3,000 credits and 600 units of ore to
construct and requires 12 turns to build and has an upkeep cost of 1,000 credits a turn. Once
constructed the Facility will produce a single elite officer every 8 turns that it is in operation. The
same type of officer (Captain, helmsman, technician, etc) cannot be selected twice in a row.
Minbari Religious Leaders and Centauri Political Leaders cannot be produced in this fashion.
Only one of these structures can be built and only on the homeworld.
13

Science Centers are only available to developed or home world systems and are limited to just
one per empire. A science center is a civilian or private institution for the furthering of science and
technology and it costs 2,000 credits and 500 units of ore to construct. The construction time is 6
turns. Each turn a science center generates a single research point. The downside to a research
center is that a foreign agent, which performs a system assessment mission, will also learn what
tech advances the empire is working towards.
Secret Facilities are more a construction option than an advanced structure. When a facility is
constructed during a campaign, the empire has the option of making it a secret facility, one that is
hidden from the general population either in a remote section of space, underground, or protected
by advanced camouflaging sensor arrays. Intel centers, shipyards, factories and research posts
can use this option. The maintenance on the facility is doubled and the construction suffers an
economic penalty of 33% and the construction time is increased by 1 turn. An empire is limited to
only one such facility in a system and the total number of secret facilities in operation at anytime
cannot exceed 6.

14

Supply Lines
General maintenance is good enough to keep an empires fleet running through peacetime. Most
ships can operate for months without needing to return to a friendly port for resupply and this
ability is referred to a vessels Duration. The typical vessel can usually carry on only through a
few small skirmishes. Capitol ships have a duration of 12 turns, HCVs a duration of 8 and medium
ships have a duration of 4 turns. Explorer ships and Gaim ships have longer durations and this is
covered in the Racial Bonus Section. Every battle in which the ship suffers structure damage
lowers this time by 1 turn. In addition each battle in which a vessel launches fighters lowers the
duration by .5.
Supply lines only really need to be considered when an empire is at war. Bonuses from supply
lines also only apply during wartime. However, a task force involved in a war is dependant on
good supply lines and access to supply depots. An empires task forces can operate normally so
long as they are within one half of their normal star map movement range of a friendly system and
they can trace an unblocked route to the nearest friendly system. Beyond this range the task force
is considered out of supply and suffers penalties as if they were unmaintained. Bases and supply
depots can extend this range.
Task forces within range of supply lines gain a few benefits. The first of these is all weapons that
require ammo are replenished. Destroyed fighters and constructed weapon munitions are also
replaced provided the empire constructed extra that have been designated as replacements units
or munitions and they are located within a single turn of movement. Mines are never replenished
in this fashion. Disabled ships are automatically towed back to friendly bases or shipyards for
repair.
When an empire is at war, supply lines become an additional area of patrol similar to shipping
lanes and as such are subject to raids by raiders or other empires. Successful raids can cause
task forces to fall out of supply. It is a very good idea to assign ships to patrol supply lines.
Raiders that hit supply lines are resolved as per the normal raider rules.

Supply Depots
Supply depots are critical to any offensive and because of this are prime targets during a conflict.
Depots extend the range of supply lines to one and half times (round down) the normal star map
movement of the empire. Construction of a supply depot costs an empire 500 ores and 1,000
credits and requires 2 turns to construct.
Destruction of supply depot has a devastating effect on the war effort. Replacement fighters that
have been constructed and stored at the depot are lost and all fleets within range of the depot
must immediately fallback from contested systems on the following turn. After the fleets
movement is complete a new offensive cannot begin in the affected area for D3+1 turns. A base
can act as a depot but the range is limited to the empires normal star map movement range. For
this reason, it is usually a good idea to assign a task force to protecting your supply depots.

15

Supply Ships
Supply ships, basically any ship with additional cargo space, can help maintain a fleet that has
fallen out of range of supply lines. Cargo space in a supply ship is dedicated to supply points. A
supply point is the equivalent of 6 expendable maintenance points. Each turn the supply points
are used to keep a task force in supply. Even if the task force is within supply lines, 20% of the
task forces required maintenance points must be deducted from the supply points carried by
supply ships. A supply ship must be assigned to a task force to indicate what it is supporting.
Supply Vessels need to spend one turn at a supply depot or base to get a full load of supply
points. While a supply ship cannot automatically replace fighters, it can keep task forces supplied
with munitions and negate penalties for being out of the supply line range. Fleets that contain
support vessels may ignore the effects of the loss of a depot. Supply ships can resupply ships as
bases do provided they have adequate amount of supply points.

Supply Line Raids

Raiding supply lines is an excellent method for disrupting an enemys war effort. It helps if the
raiding empire has information as to the routes supply ships take, which can be acquired through
a listening post or an agent or other intelligence operation. When attacked supply vessels are
considered to be at Patrol Stations. Jump capable supply vessels will usually activate their jump
drives at the first sign of trouble. (Enemy units have to be on the battlefield before the supply
vessels will form their own jump points). Typically a supply convoy will start the battle at speed 3
in the center of the map. Enemy units may come in from any one side up to speed 15 or they may
jump in. Each unit of cargo lost through a raid reduces supplies to ships along the route by 6
maintenance points for the turn. The loss of maintenance is felt immediately.
To determine the result of a supply line raid, the Game Master needs to roll a D20 and add any
amplifiable modifiers to the roll.
Supply Line Raid Success Table
Modifiers
-2
-8
+4
+10
+2
+2
+4
+8

Each additional raid to supply line after the first

Empire has received intelligence on the raiding ships orders
Nearest task force is on non-supply line patrol
Nearest task force on Garrison Duty
Raiding group has intelligence on supply lines
Raiding group has listening post in system
Raiding group hidden in system, running silent
Raiding group is using craft with jump engine

D20 Die Roll Result

2 or less
3-10
11+

Raiders will be intercepted by patrolling craft

Raiders are intercepted during the attack on supply lines. The roll +D3 indicate what turn number
patrolling craft will arrive
Raid against supply lines goes unstopped, play out battle against the supply ships

16

Missile Stockpiles
Additional missiles constructed by an empire that are not being used on a vessel can be
stockpiled at a base with cargo space, a supply depot or at a planet. Players should make a note
as to where the stockpile exists and keep track of how many missiles it contains. Provided the
stockpile is with the empires supply line range expended missiles can be automatically replaced
during the Transfer Segment of the campaign turn.

Fleet Tenders
Fleet tenders are extremely large supply ships. Their only purpose is to resupply fleets and
generally try to avoid combat as much as possible since they are poorly armed. Each fleet tender
is given a Resupply Rating that indicates how many maintenance points worth of ships it can
resupply in a single campaign turn. In addition fleet tenders can serve as repair dry docks and
carry out repairs as a large shipyard.

17

Fleet Orders
The main battle group in the B5 wars is the fleets (or task forces) of the empires. It is with them
that wars are fought- at least in this campaign. Each vessel in a fleet should be named and each
fleet given a designation to make it easier to track. Vessels without names cannot earn experience
points.
Every fleet must be given a set of orders for the turn. Orders dictate what type of action the feel
will see along with any specific bonus (or penalty) that it may incur. Fleets without orders are
assumed to be on patrol. The available orders are as follows:
Ambush orders a task force to hide either within a terrain feature (such as asteroids or a
nebula) or in hyperspace and wait for a target of opportunity. The order must specify where
the fleet is hiding in the engagement range. Fleets waiting in ambush may have their
weapons charged to a sustained level when play begins. Unless otherwise stated, fighters
may never be placed in an ambush position without carriers.
Assault orders the task force to deploy assault shuttles and attempt to take over key
locations on a systems planet. Generally assault ships deploy their assault shuttles after a
system has been secured but may also attempt a Hot Landing and land shuttles during a
battle. This must be specified in the orders.
Attack simply orders the fleet to engage any hostile force at the end of a jump or within a
system. The order must specify which system engagement range the fleet is attempting.
When the fleet arrives it may have half of each ships fighters already deployed.
Blockade orders the task force to blockade a planets jump gate or world by laying mines
or orbiting it so that its production is cut off. Production ceases on the following turn. If there
is a defending fleet then the blockading taskforce has to defeat them before they can
successfully blockade the system.
Blockade Running orders a task force to break through a blockade to deliver supplies or
pick up vital personal.
Escort orders a task force to escort duty during which they will escort a key shipment along
the trade routes or escort another specific task force. This does not guarantee that the
routes will be safe, but it does allow some additional safety and quicker response time. An
escorting fleet will be able to quickly respond to raids on nearby shipping lines. Vessels are
assumed to be at patrol stations if they are attacked. However, if they respond to a nearby
attack then their combat readiness level is automatically at Battle Stations.
Exploration orders a taskforce to an undiscovered area of space, to seek out new life and
to boldly go where no member of that race has gone before! This order gives a bonus to
first contact situations and Fleet combat readiness is considered to usually be at Cruise
stations during these operations. Gunboat diplomacy is usually not looked upon well in
such situations.
Garrison Duty orders the taskforce to protect key strategic locations such as bases,
shipyards, planets and supply depots which must be specified during the orders phase.
Such a fleet has terrible response times to attacks on shipping lanes or nearby systems
since their first duty is to protect a specific location. Their response is slightly better if
18

another target in the system is under attack. A task force on garrison duty may order up to
half of its fighter compliment to patrol the area independently of the task force and cannot
retreat from an invasion force for D3+3 turns.
Intelligence Gathering Mission orders an ELINT class vessel into a system to gather
information on another empire by studying a systems electromagnetic emissions. The
vessel can automatically determine what type of system it is in and the presence of stellar
anomalies. Additional information (such as the type of ores present, fleet strength, fleet
orders, minefields, base and shipyard locations) can be learned as well, but requires a
sensor sweep roll.
Move to Hyperspace Rally Point orders a task force to move to a specific point slightly off
the standard hyperspace lanes in a system and wait. This is generally used to gather large
forces for an attack that requires secretly or pinpoint timing. Task forces are normally only
allowed to follow this order for a maximum of one turn. Some races such as the Minbari
and Vorlons could detect such a gathering since their vessels are more advanced and
capable of traveling further off the hyperspace lanes than others. There are also the rumors
of something living in hyperspace
Patrol allows a task force to patrol an area of a system, shipping lanes, or supply lines for
trouble. The area of patrol must be stated in the orders. This is usually the first task force to
encounter an invader and it allows the fleet a chance to respond to nearby attacks or raids.
Fleets are assumed to be at patrol stations if they are attacked. However, if they intercept
an enemy task force then their combat readiness level is automatically battle stations.
Patrol orders do not guarantee that a fleet will be in position to stop an attack on the system
especially if they are intercepting raiders elsewhere at the time.
Training Maneuvers orders a task force to spend time in deep space on training
exercises. The player must specify how many turns the task force will be away. Each turn
the crews earn 25 experience points. Such task forces will be difficult to recall and have a
hard time patrolling space and as such cannot assist in system defense if it falls under
attack. There is a one turn delay in receiving new orders once a recall order is issued. The
maximum number of turns that a task force can follow this order is 6. The order cannot be
given to the task force again for 12 turns. Vassals that are transferred to other task forces
that are assigned to training duty earn no experience if they are not eligible for
supplementary training. When this order is executed the task force is temporarily removed
from the Star Map. However it can lead to misunderstandings if executed too close to
another empires borders since their long ranged sensors may detect fleet movements.
Should the task force come under attack by unknown hostile forces the status level is at
drill stations.
Raid orders a task force to disrupt trade routes or supply lines by preying on freighters and
support vessels. Such vessels may be destroyed or captured (adding the routes bonus or
supply points to the raider). In addition the raiding party may make D3 attacks on the route.
Ships participating in raids only generate half the earned experience unless they encounter
police or military combat vessels.
Refit, Repair or Resupply indicates that the ships are being resupplied, repaired or refitted
with new technology. Ships that come under attack while undergoing this order are

19

considered to be tactically surprised. This order is also given to supply vessels to

resupply task forces.
Relief Missions are assigned to medical class ships or supply ships that have been
loading with medical provisions for the purposes of helping combat a disaster such as a
plague.
Survey missions allow an ELINT capable vessel to automatically determine a systems
resource deposits and worth in a single turn. A non-ELINT vessel has a chance to also
determine a systems worth but the mission takes 2 turns to complete and the vessel must
score equal to or less than their sensor rating on a D20 roll to get all the information. Abbai
ships by subtract 1 from their roll. Fleet combat readiness is considered to usually be at
cruise stations during these operations.

Fleet Movement
An empires Speed Tech determines how many parsecs that a fleet may move across the star
map. Non-liner movement distance is calculated using the distance formula and fractions are
dropped. Due to the vagaries of hyperspace, a fleet is normally only permitted to move between
systems. Traveling established hyperspace lanes doubles the movement rate. Fighters have a
limited range that they may operate or travel without a carrier, which is limited to half of an
empires normal speed tech.
A fleet is not normally permitted to move part way and stop; it must come out at some point even if
it means the fleet turns around and heads back to the original position. The destruction of jump
gates is prohibited and beacons can only be deactivated at the end of the turn after all movement
has been completed. Fleets may be detected as a soon as they enter a system because of
sensor nets that are composed of sensor stations and satellites. Fleets traveling along
hyperspace lanes are as detected long enough to avoid a surprise situation because of
hyperspace sensors. Unoccupied systems can change hands when another empires fleet moves
into it, should the fleet choose to take possession.

Police Vessels
Ships designated as police vessels are limited to performing operations within claimed systems.
Typically such vessels patrol the system and shipping lanes for raiders and intruders. They cannot
be used as part of any type of military strike force outside of friendly territory. However, they can
be used to escort a jump gate construction team and patrol new discovered systems that are in
the process of having jump gates constructed.
Vessels that are considered police vessels are as follows: Abbai Fetula Warrant Cutter, Lyata
Police Corvette, Alacan Tacomi Patrol Cutter, Balosian Essus Patrol Boat, Brakiri Kabrik Police
Ship, Centauri Replublic Lupa Attack Boat, Haven Patrol Boats, Corillani Conosti Patrol Frigate,
Drazi Stareagle Frigate, Throkan Corvette, Wareagle Frigate Leader, Earth Alliance Tethys
Models, Llort Terillion Patrol Frigate, Markab Martoba Patrol and Polce ships, Minbari Shaveen
patrol Cutter, Narn Regime ShoKos Police Cutter, ShoKov Torpedo Cutter, Pakmara
Shobogna Patroler and Vree Xvell Escort Saucer.

20

Fleet Engagements
When two or more empires fleets come together they tend to fight. If the attacking empire is
jumping into a system he must choose the System Theater. Each system has 3 different areas,
which are called System Theaters: Outer System Theater, Inner System Theater or Core
World Theater. System theaters will dictate some of initial set up for combat. An empire may
deploy shipyards, bases or defenses to any area he chooses.
Core World Theater represents the area of space around the location of the primary inhabited
planet within a system. It can contain that planets moons and is where the primary jump gate is
located. Additional jump gates must be located in other theaters. This theater is part of the inner
system theater.
Inner System Theater represents any area within range of the first 3 planets of a system. This is
where asteroid fields may be located. Enemy fleets that fled to this theater may make two strikes
per turn against enemies located in the core world area because of the close proximity. Secondary
jump gates are often constructed in this theater. In addition the 2nd inhabited planet could be
located within this area.
Outer System Theater represents the furthest reaches of a system. Any type of stellar
phenomena (moons, planets, asteroids, nebula, etc.) may be present in this area. Secondary jump
gates may be constructed in this theater. This is the hardest theater to patrol so it is the usual area
where advanced enemy forces will deploy or raiders will set up a base of operations.
During the movement phase a player may move a task force to the next theater without using
jump engines. Fighters are limited to operating only one system theater away from their ship or
base. (Example; A fighter base or carrier located at the core world in the Sol system could only
patrol the core world system theater or inner system theater. It could not patrol the outer system
area.)
An attacking fleet is only allowed one attempt per turn to take a system. However, if the fleet has
adequate supplies they have the option of retreating further out in the system (done by leaving the
map board) and making additional attempts the following turns. It is entirely possible that a
retreating attacking force will run into another defending patrol- depending on placement within the
system.
Any side may retreat by opening jump points and exiting the battlefield. This action will take them
to the closest friendly system. A unit that is retreating from a tactical battle, it must turn itself so
that when it opens a jump point facing a friendly map direction. Simply opening a jump point is
not acceptable.
Combat readiness of a defending task force will depend on the situation. If they are aware of an
approaching hostile fleet, such as if they are using the jump gate to invade or they have received
intelligence reports on the matter, then their combat readiness is battle stations. Otherwise,
bases and fleets are always considered to be at patrol stations if they are near an enemy
territory. If the empire is at peace, or the planet is behind the front lines, then they are at
considered to be at cruise stations. Attacking fleets are always assumed to be at battle
stations.

21

Fleet Command
Every fleet has a flagship and every task force a command ship. Players must indicate which ship
in each task force is the command vessel. Command vessels usually do not stand out unless the
player does something to make them stand out such as request a surrender or a withdrawal.
During the tactical game the loss of a command ship has a devastating effect. On the following
turn the fleet must roll a morale check to determine if they will retreat. All ships in the task force
also suffer a 8 initiative penalty. The turns following the penalty is reduced to 4.

Force Commitment
When a fleet is sent to a system, it has the option of splitting the force up so that the fleet arrives
in different waves or part can be set aside as reinforcements. If the fleet will arrive in waves, the
attacking player must specify what turn numbers the next wave will arrive or form jump points. The
downside to this is the entire fleet is counted for purposes of outnumbering the enemy.
Nothing prevents a group of fleets from arriving at different targets or in different system theaters
to break up the system combat and to cut off any retreat that the defenders may attempt. Such
tactics are very daring and are the type used to win the day.

Reinforcements
Reinforcements work a little different. Only the vessels that actually arrive in combat count for
determining outnumbering the enemy and they may not be scheduled to arrive until turn 4. On the
turn reinforcements are scheduled to arrive the owning player rolls a D10. On a 3 or less they
arrive on schedule. On 4 or greater they are delayed. Each following turn the reinforcements may
roll again and the target number increases each turn by +1. Reinforcements arriving from allied
fleets usually are not as coordinated and add +2 to the roll. In the event that multiple fleets jump to
a target system from different systems then all but one fleet act as reinforcements.
During an attack, task forces in the system on patrol can be called in for reinforcements provided
they are not already engaged with an enemy attack elsewhere, but their arrival time is usually
worse than standard reinforcements. Aid cannot arrive for 5 + 1D6 turns and they must also roll for
arrival. Fleets in the system assigned to garrison duty are automatically present at a battle near
the primary colony. Jump capable forces arrive on the map by opening jump points. Non-jump
capable task forces enter along the players side of the board moving speed 10 to 15 as far from
the enemy as possible.
Reinforcements can be called from nearby star systems, but these take even longer to arrive.
Only a single fleet from the closet system may respond. The GM will randomly determine the
specific fleet that does respond from the available ones that are unengaged and on patrol. The
base time for arrival of these reinforcements is equal to a base of D10 plus and additional 10 turns
per parsec away. Nearby allies may also send a nearby fleet to respond to an attack, however you
must add a +2 to their arrival rolls.

22

Fleet Intelligence
Knowing what the enemy has waiting for you is the first step on the road to victory. Every good
military campaign is won or lost by their level of tactical intelligence. Espionage agents are one
way of collecting information. Unfortunately the information they collect becomes outdated quickly.
Using ELINT vessels to covertly gather information is another way. Listening posts can also
quietly collect information.

Sensor Sweeps
Task forces that may encounter an enemy automatically perform a limited sensor sweep, similar
to that done with a system sensor net, with their ships. The success or failure of this sweep
determines what type of information the game master gives the players involved. For instance, a
task force on patrol, which does not detect an approaching fleet could suddenly find itself the
victim of a surprise attack.
A task forces overall Sensor Sweep Rating is equal to one fourth (round down) of the most
powerful sensor array. Task forces also have Detection Values, which determines how easily
they are to detect. The base detection value is equal to the average of the largest ships defense
ratings (round down) that is present. Appropriate situational modifiers further modify this number.
To determine the level of Fleet Intelligence each task force needs to roll a D20. The base target
number is the detection value of the enemy task force. The sensing player needs to add or
subtract any appropriate situational modifiers and finally add in his sensor sweep rating to the
base target number. In addition, the overall success of the roll will determine what information is
given to each side.
Fleet Detection Situational Target Number Modifiers
Abbai task force detecting
+1
Detecting task force composed of 11+ vessels
+3
Detecting task force composed of 6-10 vessels +1
ELINT equipped fleet using masking
- Sensor rating
ELINT equipped task force scanning
+3
ELINT vessel by itself using masking
- Sensor rating
EM storms in system
- 1D6
Friendly escorts utilized (per task force)
+1 (Max 6)
Jammer equipped fleet
-8
Target arriving via jump point
+4
Target located in asteroid field
-2
Target running silent
-8
Target task force composed of 6 or more
+ 3 for every 5 additional vessels or fraction of
vessels
Example: A minbari task force composed of 3 white stars are on patrol in a newly acquired
systems outer theater. A white star has a base defense rating of 11 for the front/aft and 12 for the
sides. Averaged together this would be 11. Since white stars are equipped with jammers their
base detection value would be lowered to 3 (11-8=3). They have a sensor rating of 10 and this
would make their base sensor sweep rating a 2. Since there are only 3 of them they do not get
any additional bonuses.
A centauri task force jumps into the same system theater to survey it and hopefully claim it. The
task force is composed of five Vorchans, a Vorchar Warscout, and a Primus Battleship. The
23

Primus has the largest defense rating so it would be used as the base target number for the
Detection Value. The Primus has a base defense rating of 16 for the front/aft and 17 for the sides.
Averaged together this would be 16. Since the task force includes 7 vessels, + 3 would be added
the detection value for a total of 19. Thankfully the Vorchar Warscout is an ELINT vessel and can
mask the fleets approach. The scout has 10 EW rating which translate into a cool 5 to the
Detection value. The task forces detection value is now a 14 (19-5= 14).. Their sensor sweep
rating would be equal to one fourth of their highest sensor value, which is either the Warscout or
Primus and both ships have a rating of 10. One fourth of that value, rounded down is 2.
The GM first determines what the target number for the white stars is to detect the approaching
Centauri fleet. The base target number is 14 plus the white stars sensor sweep rating (which is 2).
The target number becomes 16, but since the Centauri arrived through a jump point an additional
4 is added bringing the final target number to 20. The fleet is detected and the White Stars do not
need to roll.
The GM then has to determine what the target number is for the Centauri to detect the Minbari
fleet. The base detection value of the Minbari task force is 3. The Centauri have an ELINT vessel
and this adds +3 to the target number for 6. In addition the Centauri task force is composed of 7
vessels and adds an additional +1 to the target number. The final target number is 7. The game
master rolls a D20 and gets a 15, which misses the target number. The Centauri are unaware of
the White Stars and maybe in store for a surprise.
A vessel can only scan the System Theater of space that they are currently in. (Core world area
is assumed to have a lot of traffic and interference that limits the range of the scan). ELINT
vessels are powerful enough to scan beyond this limitation into the next system theater. This
normally only comes into play when an ELINT Vessel is scanning an area during an intelligence
gathering mission. The next system theater is an additional -6 modifier.

Sensor Nets
Every system has a series of sensor buoys that create a sensor net and can detect task forces
and stellar anomalies that enter the area. A system type will determine the base strength of the
sensor net since not all system types will be as protected. The rating is treated just like a fleets
sensor sweep rating. Every turn the GM will make a single sensor net roll and use the result as
the sensor strength for that turn.
System Type
Agricultural
Barren or Mineral Rich
Developed
Home world
Terrestrial

Base System Sensor Net Ratings

Sensor Net Rating
3
1
7
8
6

A systems Sensor Strength is compared to the fleet detection rating and is modified by
situational modifiers using the appropriate modifiers from the Fleet Detection Table. Target
numbers are calculated exactly like a task forces Sensor Sweep Roll. Raiders striking shipping
lanes usually are not detected by using system sensors because they typically blend into the
normal civilian traffic in the area. The next system theater is an additional -3 modifier unless a
base exists in that area and the sensor net operates in all system theaters.
24

The rating of a systems sensor net can be increased by spending resources to upgrade it. The
maximum rating that any system may have is 12. Such upgrades involve updating existing sensor
buoys and adding a lot more of them. It will cost an empire 5,000 credits and 4 turns to upgrade a
systems rating by a single point.

Listening Posts
Listening posts can provide valuable intelligence for an empire that is at war with a neighbor and
can only be deployed if no treaties exist between the two empires. Typically a small vessel or
ELINT ship will slip into a system and deposit a few units of troops on an uninhabited moon or
planet with survival and monitoring equipment. From their position, a listening post can determine
what an enemys task force in the system contains (base hull types only) and what orders they
have been given (if they are on patrol, entering, leaving) but more detailed activity would require
more powerful equipment that would be quickly detected.
A listening post can be detected by a systems sensor net or a sensor sweep and have a detection
value of 4. They must be resupplied every 8 turns. A Listening post is more in danger of discovery
from the resupply vessel than anything else. Once discovered, the post can be targeted for
assault or for planetary bombardment as ground forces.

Fleet Intelligence Resolution

Senor nets and sensor sweeps and survey missions use the same resolution system when it
comes to gathering information. A successful roll will reveal the presence of task forces and their
relative numbers and the location of any bases or shipyards in the area. A roll that is only 1 or 2
below the target number will reveal the types of ore that is present in the system and the number
and basic type of enemy vessels in a task force along with affiliation of the task force provided the
race has been encountered before. A successful roll that is below the base target number by 3 will
reveal the general orders of a task force. A roll that is below the target number by 4 will reveal the
class of each vessel, but not their specific variant. A roll that is 5 or more below the target number
will indicate the locations of any minefields present. A failed roll that is a maximum of 2 higher
than the target number will indicate to the fleet that there are a number (D3) of unidentified objects
present.

25

Setting Up the Combat

How the resulting battle is set up will depend on what type of encounter and what types of units
are present and the results of the detection rolls. The game master should give each player
involved in the encounter a tactical situation report detailing the major parts of the conflict;
including fleet status, number of enemy vessels, types of enemy vessels and any other situational
information available. In situations where there is only one side detecting the other, allow the
detecting side to look over their status report and determine if they attack and how they do so. A
jammer equipped unit may not decide to deactivate their jammer to charge their weapons in
sustained mode nor may a fleet that was running silent cease to do so without causing another
detection roll. The Game Master may feel free to choose a slightly different set up for different
types of encounters. The following are general guidelines on set up.
Jumping into Combat is assumed when a fleet does not use a Jump gate to arrive.
Unfortunately, hyperspace currents and other such anomalies make it difficult for a ship to
form a precisely placed jump point. When a ship tries to open a jump point to enter the
battlefield, use the rules in the B5 Compendium on page 142. Set up the battle just like
the Jump Engagement scenario in the B5 Compendium on page 168. In addition fleets
that are jumping in can not use this as a method for gaining a surprise attack on an
empires patrols. Patrols are too random to be surprised in this fashion unless there is an
observation unit nearby. Normally an attacking fleet jumps in and moves towards the
objective so that they can organize their approach better. Shipping lanes and supply lines
are most vulnerable to this type of attack because they use a static route.
A device does exist to aid jump point targeting called a Hyperspace Marker. It works only
for two campaign turns but allows any fleet to find that area in hyperspace easily. These
devices are deployed by exploration units, so that jump gate construction teams can easily
locate the system and arrive safely. A military version exists that uses encrypted signals
and allows a friendly fleet to surprise attack an area, but the duration is only one turn. The
military version costs a player 200 credits to purchase and is rather rare. One ship out of 10
may carry up to two of the devices and the devices may only be acquired at the empires
home world. Both versions reduce the target number for Jumping in by 2.
Meeting Engagements occur if two opposing fleets enter an unclaimed system on the
same turn (and are aware of each other) and combat occurs the game is played on a
floating map with all ships at battle stations status. Task forces must choose a speed
between 1 and 10 and fighters may not be deployed.
Hostile Encounters occur if two opposing fleets met because of patrols or long
approaches the game is played on a floating map with all ships at battle stations status.
Task forces must choose a speed between 1 and 10 and a maximum of half the fighter
compliment on both sides may be deployed within two hexes of the mother ships. This is
the usual encounter when there are patrols in the area that can intercept a hostile force.

26

Bases and O-SATS usually have up to half their fighter compliment on patrol, though
typically it is just one fighter flight. Fighters start at speed of 5 within 10 hexes of a base.
Task forces with garrison orders at the base will be at speed 0 and must be within 5 hexes
of a base and may not have fighters deployed. All garrison units and fighters assigned to
the base must set up first in a combat scenario. If a base is not present but O-SATS are
then combat occurs with the planet represented along one of the short rows of hexes. The
defending fleet and O-SATS set up within 3 hexes of the surface.
Jump Gates are always deployed 15-30 hexes of a base if they are in the core world
system theater.
Raids are usually surprise attacks and catch the defender off guard. The defending task
force is set up in the middle of the standard map with a speed of 3. Civilian vessels are
usually at cruise stations. Supply craft are always at patrol stations. Attacking units may
either be running silent or jump into combat.
Pursuit Battles use a floating map (and sometimes two) and are normally set up with the
fleeing fleet placed first along the center 3 hexes lines of the map moving a speed of 10.
The pursing fleet is set up behind the fleeing fleet along the short side of the map. Fighters
may be deployed within 2 hexes of the mother ship. The battle continues until one fleet
disengages, is destroyed or the fleeing fleet out distances the pursuit fleet to a point that
both fleets cannot share the same map.
Supply Depots and Ship Yards are usually unarmed and are big targets for attacking
fleets and are automatically destroyed or captured if an attacking fleet reaches them. It is a
very good idea to protect such areas with task forces, OSATS, bases, mines or patrols.
Ambushes are difficult to give really good guidelines for because of the large number of
variables involved. An ambushing fleet typically needs to have some type of terrain to hide
in. Asteroids, nebulas, sensor shadows of moons and even dense debris fields serve the
purpose. The defending player should set up first in the middle of the board with a speed of
5 or less (depending on the situation) going one direction. The attacker can then allocate
his forces within the specific terrain features.
Another type of ambush is the trap. Basically the defender is baited into an area with a
distress call from a civilian vessel, which can be faked. When they arrive they discover a
trap either in the form of a minefield or attacking vessels or both! Place the distressed
vessel in the center of the map. The attacking player secretly records the locations of the
mines and can place them no closer than 6 hexes from the trapped vessel. The defending
player starts in the middle of the map within 5 hexes of the disabled ship at a maximum of
speed 3. Fighters may not be deployed.

Fleet Communication
Unless a task force was attacked by surprise, it can send a communication signal detailing an
approaching enemy or call for reinforcements. All ELINT vessels can jam communications in an
area; preventing calls for reinforcements either as part of the defense or during jump
engagements and ambushes. Broadband jamming affects all units in the area including friendly.
Meeting engagements approach too long to prevent the calling for reinforcements. Non-ELINT
vessels with Jammers may also jam communications but may do so only against a single target.
27

Fleet Morale
Fleets are not always willing to fight until the bitter end, unless there is a really good reason for
their sacrifice such as the defense of home world. A fleet commander can order the retreat at the
end of any turn which his or her fleet has been reduced to 50% of its starting value. To determine
this roll a D20. On a 17 or higher the fleet commander orders the retreat to begin immediately next
turn. For each full 10% beyond 50% losses the fleet has taken add +3 to the roll.
Type of Battle

Morale Situational Modifiers Table

Morale Modifier

Skirmish or meeting engagement in neutral system

Task force command ship destroyed that turn
Defending minor strategic location
Defending major strategic location
Raiding Attack
Attacking major strategic location
Engaging an unknown enemy

+1 to retreat rolls
+1 to retreat rolls
-2 to retreat rolls for defender
-5 to retreat rolls for defender
+3 to retreat rolls for attacker
-3 to retreat rolls for attacker
+2 retreat rolls

Ramming
During the campaign there will be times when an empire wants to be able to ram the enemy fleet.
Unfortunately, conditions must be met that will allow him to do so. If a defending fleet is severely
outnumbered and outgunned they are allowed to use ramming. To be considered out numbered
the attacking fleet must have 150% (or more) of the battle point value of the defending fleet. An
empire may also use ramming if it is at war and has lost at least a third of their systems.

Boarding Actions (Optional)

When an empire makes an attempt to capture a base or HCV/Capitol ship with marines the crew
rises to stop them. Marine units formed from the crew should be equally dispersed through the
ships sections. Divide the number of marines by the number of sections on the ship or base. Any
odd marines are deployed in the primary section. Marines are lost when a section is destroyed
and every 20 boxes of structure damage kills one marine unit.
Marines may move between locations to defend the vessel from invaders and perform this action
during the marine attack segment. Enormous ships and bases require 2 turns to move between
locations. The attacker may only change locations once all the defenders in an area have been
subdued.

Running Silent
A vessel or small task force can chose to run silent by shutting down most of its systems (sensors,
weapons, jammers, interceptors, etc) and keeping only enough power for life support and minor
maneuvering thrusters. Speed is limited and thus it will take 2 turns to cross into the next
engagement range. Typically this is used to hide from enemy sensors and patrols in the area
when a task force is behind enemy lines or for surprise attacks.
On the B5 wars tactical map, units that were running silent and not detected may continue to do
so. Each turn during the fire determination segment the GM should roll a D20 for each unit that is
running silent to determine if they have been detected. On a result of 2 to 6 they have been
detected and are aware they have been detected and is placed on the board but the target is not
identified. On a result of 1 or less the unit has been detected and are unaware they have been
detected. If the result of the die roll was exactly 7, a senor shadow had been detected. The player
is given only brief information such as the direction in relation to the closet ship but not the range
28

or type. The vessel will automatically reveal itself if it powers up its systems during the Ship
Power Segment of a turn or if it launches fighters.
Running Silent Tactical Map Detection Modifiers
Action Taken
Modifier
Target is group of Fighters
+10
Target is Medium Vessel
+5
Target is Heavy Combat Vessel
+2
Range is greater than 50 hexes
+2
Range is 10 to 15 hexes
-3
Range is 9 to 6 hexes
-7
Range is 5 or less hexes
-12
Target changes course by 60
-2
Target changes course by 120
-3
Target changes course by 180
-5
Target changes speed
-2 per point

Abandon Ship
When a ship has taken critical damage and the end is near the player may decide that it is time to
abandon ship. During the power allocation phase the player announces that the crew is
abandoning ship. That turn and the turns that follow crew start activating escape pods. A medium
vessel can be evacuated in one turn, and as such the vessel may not fire weapons or change
movement direction any. Heavy combat vessels and capitol ships require 2 full turns to full
evacuate. During the first of these turns the ship suffers a 2 penalty all actions performed by the
ship. The following turn the ship can not fire or change course. Abandoned ships continue to move
at their last speed and heading during the derelict ship phase and any that end their turn in a hex
with another vessel may attempt to ram that vessel at a +4 Target Modifier. Players will want to
perform this action in order to save as much of an experienced crew as possible.
Escape pods on the board will move in a single randomly determined direction and move at speed
2 every turn at the beginning of the movement phase. They can be picked up by the side that is in
control of the map at the end of the battle. Escape pods cannot be targeted for destruction as it is
against the rules of warfare.

29

Fighters
Fighters play a very important role in any navy, providing fleets with a maneuverable and often
expendable strike instrument. A well time strike with fighters can often turn the tide of battle. Most
fighters have a limited range that they may operate or travel without a carrier. This is limited to half
(round down) of an empires normal star map movement.
Fighters from a carrier that was left behind due to carrier destruction or a lost battle must try and
return to the nearest friendly system by utilizing a jump gate. If there is not a friendly system within
the fighters range they are considered lost. As an alternative, an atmospheric capable fighter can
land on a nearby inhabitable world. However, if that world is occupied by an unfriendly empire the
pilots are considered captured.

Fighter Surplus
Should Empires build more fighters than they can house in Fighter Bases or Hangers, then the
surplus fighters can be assigned to replacements unit status. These fighters are not counted
against maintenance limits and are usually moved to supply depots near front lines so they can
quickly be used to replace combat losses. Unless an empire is at war replacement units are
limited to 33% of the total number of active fighters of that type.

Navigators
Some fighters use navigators to guide missile payloads to their targets. The increase in points is
paid solely in credits when the fighter is constructed and deployed. Basically the government is
paying to train the navigator. If the empire is upgrading a flight of fighters to carry navigators then
a flight of navigators are trained in place of an agent or unit of marines at a training facility at a
cost of 60 credits. Navigators make a separate ejection roll when their fighter goes down.

Fighter Experience
Fighter units earn experience points like ships. Experience earned is based on the units size and
how many of that unit saw action. A units size is based on the carrier that it is assigned to and
how the player has organized them. Most fighter groups will be no smaller than squadron size.
Should only part of a fighter unit participate in a battle the amount of experience points earned will
be reduced by percentage of the unit that was not involved in the battle. Likewise If the unit has to
be split up to different carriers due to losses then their experience is also split by an equal amount.

Replacement Crews
Each flight or squadron has a set of replacement pilots (and navigators) that rotate through
combat equal to 50% of the normal fighter strength. Shuttles and Assault shuttles have an
unlimited amount of qualified replacements and thus do not earn experience the same way
fighters or ships do. When a fighter is destroyed the pilot may be eject safely, be injured or even
killed. The player should roll on the Pilot Ejection Table. Pilots who have ejected safely can be
picked up by which side controls the battlefield.
Injured pilots are unable to fly and must make a recovery roll at the end of each campaign turn to
determine if their wounds heal. Roll D10, on a 1 their wounds heal. Every turn after the first add +1
to this roll. Starbases and medical ships have better facilities to aid the recovery of the wounded. If
the injured pilot has been transferred to a medical ship or a base then subtract 2 from the roll.

30

Pilot Ejection Table

Situational Modifiers
-1 Heavy or Super Heavy Fighter
+1 Light or Ultra Light fighter
D6 Roll
1-2
3-4
5-6

Result
Pilot ejects safely
Pilot Injured
Pilot Killed

Fighter Bases
Any atmospheric fighter can be assigned to a ground based fighter base. Fighters assigned to
ground bases terrible response times to space threats. However they are useful defending against
a planetary assault. Each flight of fighters that is kept in reserve may cancel the landing bonus
from 3 assault shuttles. Enemy fighters that are escorting the assault shuttles cancel this bonus on
a one. A group of fighters from a ground base cannot arrive as reinforcements until turn 6 +1D6,
and they must make their arrival roll. Fighters from a base arrive initially with one flight. An
additional fight may arrive each following turn until all reinforcements have arrived.
Fighter Base information Chart
Class

Fighter Capacity

Defense Rating
Cost

Maintenance Cost

Build Cost

Build time

Small
Medium
Large

12
24
48

3
5
8

20 points
35 points
60 points

20 Ore + 50 credits
50 Ore + 100 credits
250 Ore + 250 credits

1 turns
2 turns
3 turns

Each fighter base type has a Defense Rating Cost that determines how many can be built on any
type of planet. The total of this rating for all constructed fighter bases on a planet may not exceed
that planets defense rating stat. The addition of fighter bases does not reduce the number of
marine units available for defense of the planet.

Missile Capacity
Any ship that carries fighters that utilize missiles will also carry a supply of missiles stored in the
hanger bay. This allows crews to rearm fighters quickly and send them back out on their next
assignment. B5 Wars never needed to specify the number of reloads available, but during a
campaign setting such specifics are needed. Ships who belong to a race that utilize missiles have
more built more capacity to carry ammunition in ship designs as opposed to a race that doesnt.
Missile Storage Chart
Class
Medium
HCV
Capitol

Missile Using Race

(Earth Alliance, Drazi, Centauri, Narns, KorLyans)

Non-Missile Using Race

6 missiles per hanger box

12 missiles per hanger box
24 missiles per hanger box

4 missiles per hanger box

6 missiles per hanger box
12 missiles per hanger box

31

Light Auxiliary Carriers

Civilian commercial freighters can be converted into Light Auxiliary Carriers. Each cargo bay can
be converted into a single hanger with a capacity of 1 fighter for a total of 8 fighters. The ship has
a +50% economic penalty and is typically used to move fighters or to escort convoys. Flights that
are broken up can be recombined if they end a turn in a hex moving the space speed and
direction. See Ships of the Fleet page 74 for the exact rules.

32

Mine Warfare
Mines are still used in space warfare. Even though their effectiveness is limited by the vastness of
space proper deployment of mines can be devastating. Mines can be used to blockade a planet,
protect a base or listening post, set up an ambush or protect a planet.
Mines can be placed by any vessel with either the mine laying capability or by any vessel with
cargo space. Freighters may be purchased by the empires to be used specifically as minelayers.
A vessel must spend a full campaign turn laying its compliment of mines. Mine fields have a low
chance of being detected by trade vessels in the area. Espionage agents have a much better
chance of locating minefields as do ELINT vessels. Espionage rolls are considered to be +2 levels
higher when determining if a system defense includes mine fields. ELINT vessel detection is
detailed in the Senor Sweep rules.
When mines are deployed around a planet as part of its defense, the player must choose which
one of 6 zones the mines will be deployed in. Think of a planet as a mega hex that occupies
thousands of standard B5 wars hexes and hundreds of maps. Since a hex has 6 sides, a planet
has 6 zones. Minefields deployed in a zone are divided by a Planet Size Rating, which is usually
25 though some planets may be larger or smaller. This means that for every 25 mines deployed in
a zone the defending player has access to 1 mine on any engagement map. Minefields are best
deployed around bases and shipyards since their numbers will be not reduced. No empire may
ever deploy mines near a jump gate since it is against the rules of warfare. Mines placed around a
planet for defense must be command controlled or have IFF capability. Once located, agents may
steal the codes to command detonated mines enabling their empire to activate them.
Shuttles may have their sensors upgraded to become Minesweepers. This increases the cost by
20% or costs 10 EPs, which ever is greater. A ship will only upgrade its shuttles if it expects to
encounter mines.

O-SAT Defense
O-SATS constructed by a factory can be placed in orbit around the manufacturing world during the
following movement turn by ballistic rocket or freighter. O-SATS can also be placed onboard
civilian transports (limit 4 O-SATS) and sent to other systems. If the manufacturing system is
under planetary blockade or under assault then O-SATS may not be placed in orbit that turn or
sent to other systems onboard freighters.
Like mines O-SATS are divided around the planet by the number of zones, but not by the size
rating. During the campaign O-SATS are controlled from the ground and can be deactivated by
marine boarding actions. If a planet is taken by planetary assault the O-SATS are automatically
deactivated.

33

Experience
As fleets are tested with ongoing battles their crews learn and gain skill levels. Refer to the chart
below for how much experience each ship is given after a battle. Players must keep a record of
total experience earned through a campaign.
Every 1,000 experience points earned allows the ship to roll on the Expert Officers Chart.
Fighters can also earn elite abilities and roll on the Expert Fighter Officers Chart. Ships can only
have one expert of any given time aboard, so re-roll any duplicates. Fighter flights can have up to
4 expert pilots. Rules for expert officers appear in The Rules Compendium (page 17).
At 2,500 experience points the ships crew qualifies for elite status. At 5,000 they qualify for ultra
elite status. The experience total is halved if the crew is transferred to a different ship type as
opposed to a variant. Elite crews are immune to the penalties of not meeting maintenance
requirements.
Experience is earned as follows:
Fought in battle............................................................................................................................. +100
For every battle the ship takes part in it earns +100 experience.
On victorious side ........................................................................................................................ +100
If the ship is on the winning side in a battle it gains this bonus.
Acting extremely valiant ........................................................................................................+D3x100
At the end of the battle each player can choose one and one ship or fighter flight that he or she
thinks performed extremely well. The rest of the players may vote on this. This ship (or fighter
flight) gets the bonus.
Ship crippled or heavily damaged .........................................................................................-D3x100
If at the end of the battle the ship has been extremely damaged (missing 2 or more sections or the
primary structure is down to half its value) then the ship loses experience points to represent the
loss of the crew. Fighter flights suffer this when they have been reduced to half of their original
strength counting the replacement pilots inherent to them. If the ship is destroyed the crew is lost.
Fleet outclassed ............................................................................................................. x2 Xp earned
If during the course of a campaign a fleet is out numbered and outgunned and instead of
surrendering they continue to fight, then they earn a bonus to the experience gainedshould they
survive.
Fleet outclasses opponent greatly.......................................................... Fleet earns no experience
If during the course of a campaign your fleet greatly out classes your opponents fleet (around
twice or more in point value) then you gain no experience. Such engagements are more turkey
shoots than real combat tactics.

34

Elite Officer Chart

D10 Die Roll Elite Officer Ability
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Elite Fighter Officer Chart

D8 Die Roll
Elite Officer Ability

Expert Engineer
Expert Helmsman
Expert Scanner
Expert Navigator
Expert Technician
Expert Jump Officer
Expert Racial Officer
Lucky Captain
Expert Tactician
Expert Captain

1
2
3
4-5
6
7
8

Expert Motivator
Expert Evader
Expert Missileer or Expert Pilot
Expert Pilot
Expert Dogfighter
Expert Coordinator
Expert Electrician

Racial Elite Officers

There are a total of 11 different race specific elite officers available in B5 Wars. When a ship has
earned enough experience to roll on the chart and the result is a race specific elite officer that
player has a choice of automatically gaining his races expert or randomly rolling on the chart for
one that may be compatible with his race. Such officers also may come as a reward to the player
due to other circumstances. The combat point value of a racial elite is added to the fleets point
value.
D5 Roll
1
2
3
4
5

Race Specific Elite Officers

Officer Type
Applicable Races
ELINT Officer (Abbai)
Races with mainline ships who sensors are 8 or
better
Gravition Controller (Brakiri)
Races with gravitic drives or weapons
Plasma Scientist (Pakmara)
Any race with plasma weapons
Security Officer (Earth
Anyone
Alliance)
War Leader (Narn)
Anyone, though only one allowed to non-narns

Expert Ship Captain

This is a new expert officer added to the Campaign rules. Expert ship captains are the stuff that
legends are made of and often can turn the tide of battle when there are present. An expert
captain is a good strategic planner and after all ships have been set on the map board, he may
change his speed and the position of his ship by 10 hexes.
An expert captain knows his ship well and what it is capable of. Any ship with an expert
commander gains a +1 initiative bonus. In addition, if his ship winds up tied with another unit
which does not possess an expert captain, the expert captains ship automatically wins the
initiative tiebreaker. An expert captain also automatically wins over an expert helmsman.
He also knows the precise moment to order weapons to fire and as such adds +1 to the target
numbers of all weapons fire from the ship. An expert Captain is also stubborn and knows how to
inspire those under him and because of this his ship may ignore failed morale rolls. If he is in
command of the task force he may reroll failed moral tests once per turn.
Point Cost: 10% of the base cost of the ship
Location: C&C

35

Repairs
Task forces within supply lines or maintained may repair all non-primary hits on their own. Such
repairs cost the empire 1 unit of ore per box repaired. Fighters and shuttles that are damaged may
be repaired 100% at no additional cost. Destroyed fighters and shuttles are not replaced unless
the fleet is within range of supply lines or carrying extra units.
A ship may also attempt to repair critical hits on undestroyed systems if the ship is within range of
supply lines. This requires a D20 roll of 15 or less, modified by the number of boxes the system
has damaged before the repairs were started. Each additional critical hit adds a further modifier of
2. A successful roll repairs all critical hits to that system. Only one such roll is allowed per system.
An expert engineer may automatically repair all critical hits with no need of a die roll. Primary
systems cannot have critical hits repaired unless the ship has an expert engineer or is located at a
friendly base or shipyard. Critical hit repairs may still be attempted if the task force is out of supply
lines but suffer an additional +3 modifier.
Bases and shipyards are much more efficient and can fix all of a ships hits. Destroyed sections
and systems can only be replaced at a shipyard and require the empire to spend 1 point of ore for
each structure damage point that has to be replaced. Each box of structure replaced or repaired
counts against the shipyards production limit for the turn. Bases are considered to have a
production value of 20 for repairs and certain refits. Repairs on a vessel must be completed before
the next one may begin. All critical hits are also repaired automatically.
Vessels who have suffered permanent reduction in a locations armor value will have to replace
that entire locations armor. This will cost the empire 1 unit of ore and 1 credit for every two boxes
contained in the location. Only a shipyard can repair this type of damage and the repair counts
against the shipyards PP allotment for the turn.

Refits
A basic ship may be outfitted to become one of its variants. This may be only done at a shipyard
dock of appropriate size. Unless otherwise noted, it takes half of the original construction time for
the refit to be completed. The cost is the difference in economic value. A shipyard dock refitting a
vessel into a variant can do nothing else while it is doing so.
Refits can also come into play because of tech level increases. This type of enhancement
upgrade can be done at a shipyard or a base and are less time consuming than a total refit. The
difference in economic value must be paid and counts towards the shipyards production limits.
For purposes of refitting a vessel or fighter two economic points are equal to one production point.
A base can only perform such upgrades to a maximum of 20 production points per turn and this
counts towards its allotment of production points for repair.

Hybrid Ships
Incorporating alien technology is another thing completely. It is often easier to incorporate alien
technology with the help of the alien government that created the technology. The technology
would operate at diminished levels- damage, range and fire control may all be reduced or the
addition of the weapon will create a power defect on the vessel. The GM has final say in such
cases.

36

Salvaging Ships
During a campaign many ships will be lost, but some of them can be salvaged. It is far cheaper to
salvage a ship than build a new one. A ship can only be salvaged if the primary structure was not
destroyed or the reactor was not destroyed or suffered a containment breach. Destroyed sections
of a ship are unsalvageable. Parts of hulls may be salvaged and used to replaced destroyed
sections on similar ships. It takes repair teams one turn to completely salvage a vessel.
Battlefields can also be salvaged by anyone that can get to them before they are cleaned up.
Small skirmishes are cleaned up by the empire that possesses the system by the end of the turn
that combat occurred on. Larger battles where many ships were destroyed require more time to
clean up and as a result a battlefield may be floating around for several campaign turns. Every
additional 4,000 points involved in the battle increases the time to clear the area by 1 additional
campaign turn. Unless the battlefield is guarded there is a chance that raiders or other interested
groups will scout the area and salvage something. The area should be treated as a large debris
field.

Spoils of War
To the victor go the spoils of war, which in the campaign are usually captured crewmen and
enemy vessels. When a ship surrenders and is captured the crew locks out the weapon systems,
preventing the enemy from easily utilizing the ship. Once a crew is familiarized with the captured
ship, and has unlocked the weapons, it may be used as part of the fleet.
Destroyed sections on a captured vessel may not be replaced until the vessel has been studied.
Studying a captured vessel requires the use of an appropriately sized construction dock for a
number of turns equal to twice the normal construction time. In addition, the empire must spend a
number of credits per turn equal to the PP rating of the shipyard, modified by how advanced the
tech of the vessel is. Once the research is complete, the vessel may be repaired and destroyed
sections replaced at an increased cost. Researching the captured vessel can indicate what Tech
levels the vessel owners possess allowing the captors to reverse engineer some of the
technology. Empire unique systems (such as Minbari Jammers, E-webs, Gravitic drives, Vorlon
Adaptive Armor) cannot be replaced or researched and some ship bonuses do not carry over such
the Drazi initiative bonus.
Replacing destroyed sections on a captured vessel is very costly since the empire is trying to
manufacture an acceptable and sometimes crude replacement. Ore costs remain the same, but
there is an added economic cost to the repairs of 2 credits per box. The maintenance requirement
for the ship is increased by 20%. Destroyed systems that cannot be repaired can be replaced with
systems more familiar to the captors allowing the vessel to be refitted with racial specific weapons.
Replacing a vessels systems completely will negate the maintenance penalty. Given additional
research time the empire could engineer a cheap copy of the vessel.
The capturing empire can also sell the ship on the open market. Buyers can be other Empires or
interested 3rd parties such as raider groups. The GM will determine if there is a third party
interested in purchasing the captured vessel and what they are willing to pay, typically the Gaim
will always be interested in such vessels.

37

Refitting Captured Vessels (Optional)

Sooner or later it will happen, a vessel will be captured and the empire will want to use it. Rules
already exist in the players section for allowing a captured vessel to be repaired and studied.
However, what about refitting the vessel to use racial specific weapons?
Most systems will remain unchanged on a captured ship. The empire would automatically replace
the weapon systems with ones more familiar to them, unless the weapons are more advanced
than what the empire currently has. A general rule of thumb is that each weapon on a ship
represents a single hard point that may mount a weapon of similar size (light, medium or heavy).
The exception is shield projectors that do not count as a hard point. Replaced weapons should
also have a total power requirement equal to or less than what they are replacing. Reduce any
remaining power in half and then subtract D3 points of power when doing a racial refit.
Sensors and reactors can also be upgraded to more powerful racial versions, these types of
replacement requires one campaign turn to complete and must be done in a appropriate sized
facility. Larger reactors bring additional power, how much is left to the GM. Each additional box of
structure on the reactor should provide 1-2 points of additional power. Alternatively the GM can
calculate the total power that the reactor generates by adding together the power requirements of
all systems aboard the vessel. While there appears to be no exact formula that AOG uses, this
number should work well for most campaign purposes.

Technology Gaps
Not all races are equal when it comes to technology. One of the prime reasons that some
weapons from one race are not used on another races vessel is the technology gaps between
empires. During a campaign it is possible for one race to acquire anothers weapon technology
and when that happens the player will want to research the weapon and construct their own
version. These rules apply only to weapons and not other unique systems such as Minbari
Jammers or Advanced Armor.
The player first needs to determine the gap in technology levels and this is done by comparing the
relative tech level of the two races. Vorlons and the Shadows are considered to have tech level
12, the Minbari have a tech level of 8, Centauri, Abbai and Brakiri are all considered to be at Tech
level 5. Belt Alliance has a tech level of 3 and everyone else is considered to have tech level 4.
Once the gap has been determined the actual weapon tech level must be looked at. Minimum gap
is 1. At no time will an empires relative tech level raise.
In the B5 Wars Rules Compendium all weapons are given a relative technology level. This
technology level also modifies how quickly a weapon can be researched. A medium tech weapon
adds a +3 to the base research point cost while a high tech weapon adds +5 to the base research
point cost. Low tech weapons reduced the base research cost by 2 points. Having a team of
technology advisors from the original government reduces the base cost in half. The final research
point cost is determined by multiplying the Technology Gap by the modified RP cost.

38

Conquering Systems
The campaign rules use an abstract system when it comes to determining planetary assault. For a
system to change hands the core world in a system must be taken and the system must be clear
of fleets from other empires. It is possible that an empire may surrender its core world and system
to an attacking empire, but that is doubtful.

Planetary Bombardment
A fleet can bombard a planet to make it easier to take or to force surrender. Each turn of planetary
bombardment has a chance to destroy factories, training centers, troops and production values.
For each bombardment factor, the attacking fleet gets to roll a D10. The D10s may be split
between attacking troops, factories, training centers or civilian population centers.
Planetary Bombardment Table
Fleet Bombardment factors
Medium Vessel
Heavy Combat Vessel
Capitol Vessel
OSAT
Atmospheric Fighters
Unit has rail guns
Unit has missiles or torpedoes
Unit has heavy weapon (Max damage of 60 +)
Unit has combat lasers (Max damage of 30+)
Unit has weapon on Mass Destruction
Unit has super heavy laser weapon (Max damage of 100+)

2
4
6
4
1
+6
+4
+3
+2
+12
+8

Planetary Target numbers

Ground Units
Fighter Bases
Factories or Training Centers
Civilian population centers

2 or less
5 or less
6 or less
8 or less

Anytime civilian populations centers are hit by planetary bombardment the economical and
production value drops by -.5 and Maintenance Value is lowered by 100. Drazi systems suffer
double the normal penalties because of how they cluster buildings together. Weapons of mass
destruction always lower such values when they are used against a system.

Weapons of Mass Destruction

The Vorlons and Shadows have weapons capable of destroying entire planets. These weapons
can only be used under certain circumstances. The Vorlons may start using the planet killer when
it is discovered that any of the other races have made a deal with the shadows and have allowed
them to take up residence on their worlds, but only after the Vorlons have engaged the shadows.
After the Vorlon planet killers are in play and they have destroyed a planet the Shadows may use
the Death Cloud to destroy any empires worlds they are not aligned with. The Centauri and the
Dilgar use mass drivers to hurl collected asteroids at bases and planets causing massive
devastation. Mass drivers may not have their bombardment factor split between different targets.
Other races have also developed weapons of mass destruction that will be included in the rules at
a later time.

39

Planetary Assault
The actual assault comes in the form of transports and assault ships landing on the world and
deploying marine units to take key areas. Each unit involved in the assault deployed rolls 1D10
and modifies the roll based on conditions. Every die that rolls a 5 or less equals one enemy unit
killed. Shuttles (including assault shuttles) may carry one unit into combat. Troop shuttles may
carry 2 units into combat.
Civilian commercial freighters can be converted into Auxiliary troop transports. Each cargo bay
can hold 4 units of troops for a total of 32. The transport only has one shuttle so it is only useful for
moving mass amounts of troops not involved in a direct assault. The ship has a +50% economic
penalty.
Planetary Assault Table
-1
-1
-2
+1
+2
-2
-1

Your side won battle

Narn or Drazi units are attacking
Gaim units are attacking
Narn unit s are defending or Drazi units are defending a Drazi system
Gaim unit s are defending
Ship supporting action
Assault ships landing during space battle (not cumulative with winning Space Battle modifier)

During the assault phases of each turn the remaining units may continue to struggle for control of
the planet. If the defenders units are outnumbered he may elect to have them become Guerilla
Resistance fighters.

Guerilla Resistance Fighters

Even when a system is conquered by an empire there always exists the possibility that the local
inhabitants will resist the new rulers, even if they are poorly armed. Guerillas can be useful in
disrupting production, shipments and can even supply information (like a spy) and strike at
garrison forces. Every turn that an empire controls a conquered world there is a chance that a
unit of guerillas will be formed from the local population. On the turn following occupation roll a
D10. If the result is 8 or less a guerilla unit is formed. There is a lesser chance in the weeks to
follow for more to form. Every ten turns reduce the target number to form guerilla units by 1 to a
minimum of 2 (3 if it was a Narn system)
Guerrilla units can disrupt shipments and production by sabotaging equipment, work slowdowns
or any number of others ways. Production disputes affect the Funds, Ore and Q-40 stats. Each
unit of guerrillas can reduce the values by 1D6. Disruption of shipments reduces the maintenance
value of the world by D10 percent.
Empires will not be aware that a guerilla unit exists until the unit does something to attract
attention such as failing am espionage attempt or striking at garrison forces. Guerillas make
attacks in the planetary assault phase like marines except they are penalized +1 to their rolls.
Units of Guerillas may choose which ground force units they attack and their hits are resolved first.
(This represents surprise attacks and ambushes).
Once an empire is aware of Guerilla units they may attempt to rid themselves of them. Garrison
units may be assigned the difficult task of hunting down guerilla units. For each ground force unit
searching for the guerillas roll a D10. For each 1 rolled they may attack 1 unit of guerillas. This
also follows the normal assault rules. Guerilla units located by Spies may be attacked as well. An
empire may assign a maximum of 25% of the planets ground forces to this search. Ground forces
40

that are searching for guerrillas are not available for defense should the planet come under
invasion and may themselves end up becoming guerrillas should the planet be conquered by a
third empire.

Supplying Guerrillas
Empires sympathetic to the cause of the guerrillas can attempt to support them by covertly
delivering weapons and other supplies to them. An empire can use their espionage agents to set
up a small supply network. Each supply network established can only support 4 guerrilla units.
Establishing a supply network is just like any other espionage roll and it uses the agents
Intelligence skill. Once established, the agent must continue to maintain the network. No roll is
made to maintain the supply network, but it does require the agents constant attention. An empire
can try to find the supply network once they are aware of its existence and shut it down using an
agents counter intelligence skills, but it does so at a +2 penalty.

Refugees
During an Invasion there is often a flood of non-combatant refugees that try to escape to the
nearest friendly territory not involved with the conflict. D2 refugee groups are always created when
the first system falls to an outside invasion force. Each group will contain D20 times 1,000
refugees. The GM will place refugee groups, starting with systems that are adjacent to the
occupied territory. During the movement phase of the campaign turn, refugee groups will move
towards the nearest friendly system uninvolved in the conflict.
On the battlefield a random number of refugee ships will be present, or possibly arrive, at any
holding action and are controlled by the GM and are treated as any number of civilian ships
provided in Ships of the Fleet. The defending fleet first priority should be the protection of the
refugee ships. Successful escort of the refugee ships outside of the battlefield is worth a number
of XP for the fleet equal to the point cost of the ships being escorted. A friendly escort vessel may
choose to block LOS to a single refugee ship if the blocker is between the path of fire and is larger
than the ship it is protecting. The invading force may also destroy or disable fleeing refugee ships
and receive a number of XP equal to one half of the point value.
Refugees can also provide some vague tactical information based on their experiences and
observations. Normally they will only provide a single piece of information if any at all and its left
to the GM to determine how accurate it is. Typical information could include general fleet
movements, encounters with minefields and possibly the use of secret allies.

41

Exploration Aspects
Some players may prefer the exploration aspects of the B5 Wars Campaign rules to the
confrontational game that it can become. In some ways B5 wars becomes more of a limited roleplaying game when exploration comes into play. Anytime a fleet jumps into a new system there is
a chance that they may find it inhabited by an undiscovered race or encounter some strange
phenomena that they can gather research points from.

First Contact Situations

There are many undiscovered space faring races on the campaign map and from time to time
players will encounter them. How the initial contact goes depends on several things. A disastrous
first contact situation can lead to a long and bloody war, just ask Earth Alliance. When a first
contact encounter occurs the GM should roll a D10. On a roll of 5 or less the contact is peaceful.
Any other result indicates a hostile encounter. Some situations modify the encounter roll. If the
fleets do not have the ability to communicate either from language difficulties or system failure
apply a +1 modifier. Diplomatic vessels on either side reduced the roll by 1. If either fleet has been
given the exploration order then reduced the roll by 1. Finally, if one fleet is looking for conflict,
either because of racial disposition (such as the Drazi) or desperation add +2 to the roll.
How conflicts that arise from first contact encounters are handled are left up to the GM. Fleets
should be within 20 hexes of each other and moving between speeds 0 and 5. One fourth of
fighters may be launched. In most encounters of this type the attacking player will be at battle
stations and the defending player would be either at patrol or cruise stations. A toss of the coin
can determine which side is the attacker and which side is the defender. The addition of a
Diplomatic vessel to a fleet automatically sets that fleet as the defender. If both sides have
diplomatic vessels then the negations have broken down and both sides start at battle stations.
Vessels and fighters should be deployed with 5 hexes of the command ship.
First contact with developed worlds is a little different. Most species that inhabit developed worlds
would have limited space faring capability. The GM Campaign Section will have information that
details how species with react to being contacted by one of the campaign empires. This is
dependant on the tech level and the racial motivation.

Strange Encounters
There will be times that a players fleet will encounter am unknown race, such as one of the first
ones or random unique game master created phenomena. Each encounter with these objects or
races is worth D6 points of research provided the task force survives the encounter. An ELINT
vessel present increases the amount of research points gained by +3. Only a single roll is ever
made for each unique phenomena no matter how many times the player encounters it.

42

Research
Players gain advantages for their race through building up research points. Research points are
collected by research posts and sometimes ships when they are at specific locations at specific
times. In addition, an empire may buy research from another empire.
A Research Center can be built at any planet that has an alien ruins present. It can also be built
at a home world, near a nebula, gravity well or dark matter cloud. It costs 100 ores and 200 credits
to build (1 turn to build) and each turn it costs 500 credits to keep operational. Each turn a
research Center generates 1D6-1 RPs. A Research Post may be built anywhere and it costs 50
ores and 100 credits to build (1 turn to build) and each turn it costs 250 credits to keep
operational. A research post generates 1 RP a turn. A Research Center and a Research Post may
never occupy the same system and all points generated must be pre-assigned towards specific
technologies. Research points gained from studying ruins and other phenomena will be randomly
determined what the research is valid for.
Advanced Agriculture is the research into new and improved agricultural techniques, which
allow an empire to readily feed its growing number of people. Level 1 costs an empire 35 research
points and reduces the initial impact on production during a food shortage by half. Level 2 costs
70 research points and additionally reduces the production decrease to 1% every two turns in the
cases of food shortages and adds +1 to the time required for a blockaded barren planet to suffer
from a food shortages. Level 3 costs 150 research points and allows barren systems to be selfsupporting. Once this technology is achieved it requires 6 turns time the level to go into effect.
Advanced Construction Techniques focuses on new construction techniques that make
structures more resistant to damage and construction more cost effective. Level 1 costs an empire
20 research points and gives all upgraded facilities a 1 bonus when rolling on the structure
damage table. Level 2 costs an additional 40 research points and reduces all construction costs
(credits) by 5%. Level 3 is an additional 80 research points and gives all upgraded facilities a 2
bonus when rolling on the structure damage table. Level 4 costs an additional 140 research points
and reduces all construction costs by an additional 5%. In addition upgraded structures received a
1 to their planetary bombardment target numbers. Facilities upgraded require to be shut down for
a number of turns equal to one half of their construction time. Minimum time is 1 turn.
Advanced Industrial Techniques is an area of research that focuses on refining the
manufacturing processes and can have the effect of increasing the construction rate of upgraded
facilities. Each level improves an upgraded production facilities output by 5%. Level 1 costs 20
research points, level 2 costs 50 research points and Level 3 costs an additional 120 research
points. Upgrading to the new techniques requires a facility to shut down for a turn and also
increases the maintenance requirement by 20% per level.
Advanced Starship Design is the design of new prototypes as covered under Advanced Cruiser
Design but it is also used for designing new variants modifications as described under Modified
Ship Design. A player created variant requires 20 research points to be allocated to the specific
design.

43

Biotech refers to research that can be applied towards medical resources or biological warfare.
Every level of biotech makes handling plagues easier and reduces the base multiplier by 1. Every
two full levels possessed reduces the impact of the production reducing effects that stem from
loss of life or sickness by 1%. Biotech 1 costs 15 research points, level 2 is 30, level 3 is 60, level
4 is 120, level 5 is 240 and level 6 is 480. Biotech traded between species results in the loss of
half the levels.
Speed Tech is the races ability to move across the star map. It does not affect the ships
movement rate on the Tactical Map. Unless using racial modifications, all Empires start with
Speed Tech of 4. Increasing it will cost research points. Increasing the Speed Tech to 5 will cost
an empire 10 research points (RPs), going to 6 is a further 30 RPs, 7 will be 90 RPs and 8 is 200
RPs.
Improved Jump Gate Tech allows an empire to utilize more jump gate beacons. A beacon allows
two jump gates to be linked together. All jump gates automatically allow 3 beacons. Improved
Jump Gate Tech increases this number by one for each level. Improved Jump Gate Tech costs
100 RPs for level 1, an additional 200 RPs for level 2. Most systems will simply place multiple
jump gates than research Jump Gate Technology.
Terraforming Tech allows a race to terraform an uninhabitable world into something more livable.
It increases the funds and maintenance points of a barren planet or mineral rich planet by 200.
Each turn that a planet is being terraformed costs 1,000 credits and after 5 turns the production
values start to increase by 20 points each turn up to the maximum bonus. To fully terraform a
planet in a system would require 12 + 1D6 turns. Uninhabitable systems become a Barren
systems once terraformed and require twice the amount of time to terraform them. Terraforming
Tech costs 50 RPs. Only uninhabitable, barren and mineral rich planets may be terraformed.
Ship Enhancement Tech is research into various aspects of improving a ships weaponry or
basic stat. Once tech has been developed, ships must be refitted at a shipyard or base to utilize
the new technology. Each enhancement must be researched separately:
Advanced Defensive Targeting increases a weapons intercept rating only once (max
rating is 4). The enhancement costs 25 RPs. The ships point value is increased by 8
points if the new intercept rating Is 2, 16 points if it is 3, or 24 for 4. If the weapon can
fire multiple times, multiply the cost by the number of times it can fire.
Advanced Engine Module makes a ships engine more efficient by one step. However,
they cannot improve any ship with an efficiency rating of 1/1. The enhancement costs 50
RPs and increases the ships point value by 10% of the original point value.
Gunsights provide weapons with a +1 bonus to hit. The enhancement costs 15 RPs and
increases the ships point value by one forth the maximum damage the weapon can do.
Hardened Armor allows a player to increase the armor value of a system by +1. The
enhancement costs 30 RPs and increases the ships point value by One Half of the armor
times the number of boxes in the system.
Hardened Shields is an enhancement done to shield generators that increases their
protection slightly (+1). (It cannot be used on Abbai shield projectors). The enhancement

44

costs 60 RPs and increases the ships point value by 10 times the old shield value for each
60 degree arc it covers.
Improved Engines increases the ships engine output, effectively giving it more thrust
points per turn. The enhancement costs 30 RPs and increases the ships point value by 5
times the new thrust rating. Engines can be modified to operate at 150% (round down) of
their original value
Improved Reactor increases the amount of extra power that a ships reactor provides
based on the size of the ship. The enhancement costs 60 RPs and increases the ships
point value by 10 times the amount of power added. If the ship had a power deficit, triple
the cost.
Improved Sensors increases the ships sensor array rating by +1. The enhancement costs
60 RPs and increases the ships point value by 5 times the new sensor rating. On ELINT
ships, this cost is doubled.
Improved Thrust rating increases a ships thruster rating up to 2 times its original value.
The enhancement costs 20 RPs and increases the ships point value by the sum of all the
thruster ratings that operate with the enhanced thruster multiplied by 2.
Jump Accelerator speeds up the ships jump engine and increases the distance a jump
point can be formed. However, it also doubles the chance that the ship will be destroyed if
the jump engine has been damaged. The enhancement costs 80 RPs and increases the
ships point value by 10% of the base cost.
Stealth Coating makes it harder for an enemy vessel to lock onto a ship or fighter that has
been treated with the stealth coating. The coating wears away with use. Each turn that the
unit has fought a battle or spent time traveling the GM rolls 1D6. If the result is a 1 then D3
sides have suffered a loss of the coating. Destroyed sections automatically lose the
enhancement. Lost coatings have to be reapplied. The enhancement costs 30 RPs and
increases the ships point value by the original point value of the unit divided by the
average of the defense ratings.
Weapon Tech is research into improvements on fighters (and shuttles) along with improvements
on weapons. Any improvement that can be added to a fighter can also be done to a shuttle. The
enhancements are as follows:
Improved Maneuverability adds a +1 to the jinking limit of a fighter. The enhancement
costs 20 RPs and increases the fighters point value by an amount equal to 10% of the
base cost.
Improved Targeting Computer adds a +1 to the offensive bonus of a fighter. The
enhancement costs 30 RPs and increases the fighters point value by an amount equal to
twice the original offensive rating.
Improved Thrust increases the thrust rating of a fighter. The enhancement costs 15 RPs
and increases the fighters point value by an amount equal to the new thrust rating.

45

Missile Rails allows a fighter to be equipped with missile rails that have a capacity of 2
missiles. Heavy fighters may carry 4. The fighters all have a launch rate of 1 missile per
turn. The enhancement costs 15 RPs and increases the fighters point value by an amount
equal to 20% of the base cost. Only one in four fighter flights maybe upgraded in this
fashion.
Ramming Plow allows fighters to be outfitted with additional armor and structure for the
sole purpose of ramming the fighter into things. It is technology of the desperate. The
enhancement costs 5 RPs and increases the fighters point value by an amount equal to
10% of the base cost.

Research Application
Technological improvements that result from Ship Enhancements and Weapon Technology are
slow to being fully utilized by the empire and most advances are seen in limited deployment at
first. Twelve turns after the enhancement has been discovered it can only be put into service on
10% of the empires vessels or fighters. After that it may be utilized on one third (round down) of
the empires fleet. Enhancements are never added on during the construction process unless the
enhancement becomes standardized and they increase the maintenance value of the unit
For an enhancement (or set of enhancements) to become standardized it must be placed on as
many vessels or fighters of one specific type in the same configuration and used in service for a
total of at least 40 turns after the enhancement was been discovered. Once the game master
deems the configuration has become standardized a new variant may be constructed using the
upgrades from the enhancements.

Stolen Technology
An empire does not immediately benefit from technology stolen from another empire by an agent
and requires some evaluation and research before the technology can be utilized. The empire
must spend 2D6 turns evaluating the technology in addition to 10% of the original cost in research
points on the newly acquired technology.

Purchased Technology
An empire may purchase completed technology another empire. The final price is up to the
players involved but it should be 50-75 credits per RP that the tech requires. Purchased
technology requires only an evaluation period of D3 turns and no additional research point
allocation since the selling empire generally would provide assistance with the application of the
technology.

46

Advanced Cruiser Design

Every campaign will have a set year in which it starts. The starting year will determine what
vessels are available to each empire. An empire may attempt to rush an unavailable design into
service by spending resources on Advanced Cruiser Design. Every 50 RPs or 8,000 credits
applied to this will reduce the year of availability by 1 for a single vessel. When the vessels
availability year has been reduced to the same year as that of the campaign, the empire may
begin constructing the vessel in 1D6+1 turns. Such vessels should be considered restricted
deployment.
Game masters may allow players to have a single vessel of any ship that is currently not available
as a prototype. A prototype has an economic cost of +200%. If the prototype is ever destroyed in
combat there is a good chance that work on the project will be abandoned. The game master
should roll a D10 and add the difference in the campaign year to the year of availability. If the
result is 5 or more then government officials have abandoned the design.

Modified Ship Design (Optional)

Some players may want to design their own variants for use with the game. An empire may only
create a new variant of a basic hull and this variant will be considered rare. The maintenance and
construction costs on the vessel should be increased by 100%. If the modified design includes
foreign technology the ship suffers an additional increased maintenance and construction cost of
50%. (The penalty to ship maintenance comes from not having an exact measure of point values
on weapon replacement at this time.) In a historical campaign this should not be allowed.
Foreign weapons for use on variants may be purchased from other willing empires and currently
the price is left to the discretion of the GM and players involved. Purchased weapons generally
come with advisors that help install the weapons and teach the buyer how to properly employ it.

47

Civil Unrest
Events during the course of the campaign can affect the civilian outlook of the military or current
government. As unrest raises the population of the empire becomes discontented and will slow
down their production and generally be unhappy. High unrest levels can also trigger events such
as Dock Worker Strike, which halts all production coming from a system. Likewise low unrest
levels can provide bonuses to production and trigger positive events. Most empires start out with a
level of unrest of 20. The Drazi Freehold begins the campaign with 22. Unrest is calculated at the
end of the turn and is usually done on the empire level, but it can be tracked system by system as
needed.
Civil Unrest Modifiers
Breaking a peaceful treaty
Capturing a hostile system
Colonizing a System
Conquering an empire
Declaring War on another Empire
Forced Labor Camps in Use
Leader assassinated
Liberating subjugated world
Losing a major battle (6,000 or more points)
Losing a Significant Battle (4,000-5,999 points)
Losing a system to a foreign power
Losing home world to a foreign power
New technological advancement made
Peaceful first contact with new space faring race
Planet Defense Rating exceeded by 20%
Rebellion putdown
Rebellion taking place in system
Sanctions imposed on empire by B5 Council
Signing a Treaty
Signing a treaty after a long conflict with another race
Subjugating a Hostile System
Successfully protected shipping lanes
Surrendering in a war
Trade Route Established
Victim of high number of shipping lane raids
War Declared on Empire
Weapons of mass destruction used on empire
Winning a major battle (6000 or more points)
Winning a Significant Battle (4,000-5,999 points)

+1 to +5
-1
-2
-10
+ 1D6
+2
+3
-2
+2
+1
+4
+10
-1
-1
+1
-1
+2
+6
-2
-4
-1
-1
+2
-1
-1
-D3
+8
-2
-1

+1 additional Earth Alliance

-1 additional Centauri
+2 additional Abbai
Centauri ignore this increase
No effect on PakmaRa
-1 additional Earth Alliance, Abbai

-1 additional Brakiri

+1 Drazi, +1 Centauri
-1 additional Abbai
Belt Alliance and Vree only
+2 Narns
+1 Minbari, -1 additional Vree
+D3 Abbai (instead)
-1 additional Drazi,
-1 additional Drazi

The modifiers provided on the civil unrest table are a general guideline for the GM to go by.
Situations will arise in a campaign that is not covered by the table and the GM must improvise.
The GM could assign a random die roll as the modifier in such cases. A treaty can be viewed as
any agreement between two races, but originally the modifier was intended to only cover
alliances.

Inefficiency
High levels of unrest can cause a population to slow down their production. This affects the
economy, ore production and Q-40 production. Factories and shipyards are also affected by this
reduction as is base construction. At 20 points of unrest (and every two points thereafter) apply a
5% penalty to production and construction.

48

Efficiently Bonus
Low levels of unrest will cause a population to increase their production. This affects the economy,
ore production and Q-40 production. Factories and shipyards are also affected by this bonus as is
base construction. At 5 points of unrest (and every two points thereafter) apply a 5% increase.

Civil War
If the unrest level ever rises to 30 or higher there is a chance that civil war will break out. At the
beginning of each turn the empire must roll a D20. Each level of unrest above 30 adds + 1 to this
roll. If the result is 15 or more a Civil War starts. The Pakmara are the exceptions to this because
of their strange social structure and can never enter civil war because of civil unrest levels.
Brakiri can suffer from internal conflicts between corporations as opposed to civil war, but such
conflicts last only for a turn or a single battle. Brakiri make a separate test for corporate warfare
anytime 2 task forces from different corporations are in the same system and the unrest level is
20. Roll a D10, on a 1-5 there is no conflict. On a 6-10 there is a brief battle.
The player must pick which side he will play in the civil war, the rebels or the loyalists. The GM
takes control of the other side. One of the outer system laying systems in an empire support the
rebels automatically. The system is chosen at random. The home system automatically is
considered loyal. All ships located at each system support that particular side in the civil war. The
GM then rolls for each remaining system and ship in an empires fleet to determine which side
they are loyal to.
Roll 1D6 for each ship, system and ground force unit (the roll applies for the fighters it carries in its
bay). On a 1 they become rebel. On a 2-4 they become unconvinced. On a 5-6 they are loyal.
Unconvinced forces are Loyalists at first but if in battle with rebel forces they may switch sides
permanently. To do this at the start of each turn during a battle the rebel player may try to
convince these ships to switch by rolling 17 or higher on a D20. This may be attempted once per
ship per turn during the EW Allocation phase, so long as the rebels have not damaged the target
vessel. Ships that switch sides during a battle become non-combative.
Research can only be collected by the loyalist side. Current stores of resources (and future
production) are based on the percentage of the systems each side holds. Unless the rebel faction
has procession of a shipyard or factory they cannot build new vessels or fighters nor may they
construct such facilities. They can still recruit marine units from the local population at a rate of
1D6 units per system, but such units are known as rebel fighters and suffer a 1 in combat. They
also do not have a jump gate construction team but can try to recruit one but at a penalty of +3 to
the roll. Espionage is generally easier against both sides since both are the same race. Reduce all
target numbers associated with espionage by 2.
Unless a large number of systems defect to the rebel side, the rebels will have to make several
alliances. The two sides remain at war until one is defeated or a recognition of independence is
drawn up for the rebels. If this is the case the Loyalists and the Rebels become two different
empires. In all respects the rebels are treated as a separate empire.

49

Espionage
An empire may purchase spies to gather information on another empire. Examples of information
than can be learned are achieved tech levels, task force composition, movement orders (for the
following turn), location of supply depots, location of Guerilla units, system defenses, secret
treaties, shipping routes, or supply line routes. Spies can also be used to perform counter
intelligence and prevent the theft of information or to sabotage facilities and ships. Espionage
Agents cost an empire a base of 200 credits. Agents are trained at large training facilities and
each counts as a unit produced
Each agent has 6 ratings that indicate how skilled they are in certain areas of Espionage. When a
spy is purchased they automatically have one bonus point to apply to any skill of the players
choosing. For an additional 50 credits a spy can be purchased with an additional point in one skill.
The maximum level than any agent can earn for a skill is +10. Racial Bonuses allow an agent to
exceed this limit equal to their bonus in that skill. As agents successfully complete missions they
earn experience points at the rate of 1 point per mission completed. Once 10 experience points
have been earned the agent may purchase a bonus point to add to any skill.
Combat is the agents pure combat ability and is a bonus added to their roll for combat
situations such as rescue missions or fighting off another agent once discovered. Combat
rolls are straight D10 rolls with a bonus equal added to the score. The Combatant with the
highest score wins the combat. Every point above the opponents indicated a wound has
been caused. An agent can take a maximum of 3 wounds before they die. It takes 1 turn for
a wound to heal.
Counter Intelligence is the agents skill at tracking down other agents and planting false
Information for them making it harder to succeed.
Evasion is the agents skill at avoiding capture or detection. This skill is used to bypass
customs when borders are crossed.
Intelligence is the agents skill at gathering information and it is the most used.
Loyalty represents how loyal an agent is and thus how difficult it is to break the agent and
tell his captors what he knows or join up as a double agent.
Sabotage is the agents skill at successfully completing sabotage missions. Sabotage
missions can either result in the destruction of a target, destruction of a system (sensors of
a ship, sensor net, weapon system, etc) or the disabling of a target. Minbari agents and
Rangers would never destroy a target with sabotage since it is not considered honorable.

50

Each empire has different goals and training methods for their agents. This is represented in the
game with racial bonuses to some of the skills and in some cases unique special abilities.
Abbai Matriachate Agents are trained in the use of advanced electronics to perform espionage and
because of this gain a bonus of +1 to both their Espionage and Counter Intelligence skills. Abbai agents
are not willing combatants and suffer a 1 to all their combat rolls.
Balosian Underdwellers Agents are often utilized to protect their secrets and because of this are trained
in counter intelligence. They start with a bonus of +1 to their combat and +2 counter intelligence skills.
Brakiri Syndicracy Agents benefit from the stiff competition between the numerous corporations in their
home system and are trained to be effective Intelligence gathering operatives. They gain a +1 bonus to
their Intelligence skill. Brakiri agents receive a bonus of 1 to the success roll on any technology
intelligence gathering mission.
Belt Alliance Agents are generally only deployed as a counter measure against raider strikes. In this
mission role they receive a 1 bonus to the success of the mission.
Centauri Republic Agents are focused on learning as much as they can about rivals and start with a +2
bonus to Intelligence. Agent loyalties can be divided in a civil war and should Centauri Republic enter such
a state the GM needs to determine which agents are double agents. There is 25% chance that an agent is
loyal to the opposite faction and operates as a double agent.
Corillani Theocracy Agents start with a bonus of +1 to their espionage skill.
Descari Committees Agents are xenophobic and paranoid and start with a +1 bonus to their counter
intelligence skill.
Drazi Freehold Agents are naturally aggressive and start with a bonus of +1 to their combat skill.
Earth Alliance Agents are dedicated to protecting EA secrets from outside forces. They start the game
with +2 bonus to their counter intelligence ability.
Gaim Intelligence Agents are quick studies and very adaptable and as such can improve a skill with only
8 XP. They are also as combat hardy as the rest of their race and gain +2 bonus to their combat skill.
Grome Autocracy Agents are skilled at guerilla and receive a +2 to their evasion skill. They can
coordinate guerrilla units and when they do the guerrilla units attack at a bonus of 1.
Hurr Republic Agents are naturally corrupt and greedy. Captured Hurr agents can easily be persuaded to
talk with cash. The GM makes a special loyalty test and rolls a D10 plus the agents loyalty. On a result of
1-2 the agent becomes a double agent working for his captors provide they pay him D3 credits a turn, on a
3-5 the agent reveals his orders in exchange for 2 credits. Any other result indicated that the agent could
not be bought.
Ipsha Baronies Agents are trained in gathering information and start with a +1 bonus to their espionage
skill.
Kor-Lyan Intelligence Agents are extremely loyal to their government and start with a bonus of +2 to their
loyalty skill rating.
Llort Agents are often utilized for intelligence gathering missions on shipping routes so that the Llort can
hit them. On a successful Civilian Traffic Intelligence Gathering Mission, the agent adds one half of his
Intelligence skill rating to the success of the mission for a single raid on the shipping lane.
Markab Agents start with a bonus of +1 to loyalty.

51

Minbari Federation Agents are both calculating and determined. They start with a bonus of +1 to combat
and a +2 bonus to loyalty. In addition each agent must chose which caste he come from and this gives an
additional bonus of +1 to one skill. Warrior caste agents receive their bonus to combat, religious to
intelligence and worker to evasion.
Narn Regime Agents are highly skilled combatants and fanatical about their success and are often
employed as assassins and bodyguards. They start with a +2 bonus to the combat skill. Any time a mission
is performed and the success indicates it requires additional time, the Narn agent may take a 2 to the
success test for the next turn and then must make an successful evasion test to escape regardless if the
mission succeeds or fails.
Pak Ma Ra Agents are generally stubborn and as such gain a +1 bonus to loyalty, not because they are
really loyal, because frustrating to deal with. Due to their undesirable qualities they are also often over
looked by many people and pushed as quickly through customs as possible. Pakmara agents can freely
bypass customs without a success roll. When trying to evade capture they may add +1 to their die roll.
Shadow Agents are trained in diplomatic subterfuge and are often deployed as diplomatic agents and can
be of any race, though human is the most common. In addition they start with a bonus of +2 to their
Intelligence Skill. Shadow agents are usually protected by shadow minions and In direct combat with them,
Shadows agents receive a bonus of +5 to their combat skill. Wounds scored against the shadow agents
are absorbed initially by the shadow minions. Every two wounds kills one and reduces the bonus received
by 2.
Torata Regency Agents are trained to gather information and avoid confrontation and start with a bonus
of +1 to their espionage and evasion skill. They fight at a penalty of 1.
Vorlon Empire Agents can either be a member of any younger race or a Vorlon carried by a humanoid
vassal. Vorlon agents are very secretive and usually spend much of their time gathering information on the
activities of the younger races. They start with a +2 bonus to their intelligence skill and a +2 to their evasion
skill. A discovered or captured Vorlon agent cannot be broken and would only be revealed either as a
double agent or an agent in the service to another empire.
Vree Conglomerate Agents are often employed to find new markets for the Vree to exploit and are more
familiar with civilian traffic than other agents. They start with a bonus of +1 to their evasion skill. Vree
agents may also undertake a special Trade Expansion Mission to expand on markets in any foreign system
in which the Vree has a merchant vessel, trading out post or trade route. The agent may add his
Intelligence to the test to this mission. A successful mission will increase the trading yield on the following
turn by a percentage equal to the Agents Intelligence score plus a D10. The agent may continue to
perform this mission in the system, however on the following turns the Vree will only get half of the original
bonus.

52

Movement
Agents travel during the movement turn similar to fleets. The speed tech of the area that they are
traveling in is used as the movement rate and the agent must make an Evasion test each time he
crosses the borders of an empire. If the system has an Open Port no roll is need and the agent
automatically gain passage. Agents roll a D20 to see if they can bypass customs. The roll is
reduced by their evasion skill. On a result of 5 or less they bypass customs without any delay. If
the result is between 6 and 18 the agent is delayed in customs for one round. A result of 19 or
more indicates the spys cover is blown and he may be captured.
If an agent is detected they may try to evade capture. The GM rolls a D10 and adds the agents
evasion skill. In addition, if there is an enemy agent providing Counter Intelligence the roll is
modified negatively by his skill. On a result of 1-2 the agent is killed, on a 3-5 the agent maybe
captured and can try and fight if there is an enemy agent involved. Against security, such as with
customs, the agents combat roll is considered 1 less. Customs Security makes two separate D10
rolls. Any other result indicated that the agent has escaped.
If an agent is captured the captors can decide if they wish to simply question the agent or attempt
to break them. Questioning can only result in gaining the agents name and suspected mission
and home empire. The agent is then held in custody or deported to his home world. If the captors
try and break the agent the GM rolls a D10 and adds the agents loyalty. On a result of 1 the agent
becomes a double agent working for his captors, on a 2-4 the agent reveals his orders. Any other
result indicated that the agent could not be broken.
Espionage Success Table
Modifiers
-1
-1
-2
-1
+1
-2
+3
+1

Per relevant agent skill level

Trade route established with target empire
Trade route established with specific system
For every two units of friendly guerillas in the system
Per level of Counter Intelligence Involved
Spy is of the same race as the target (Double Agent)
Military Combat vessel sabotage target
Earth Alliance System

D20 Die Roll Result

1 or less
2-5
6-7
8-9
10-12
13-14
15-20

Mission successfully completed and spy may leave information implicating another Empire
Mission successfully completed
Mission successfully completed and target empire knows of espionage attempt
Mission incomplete: additional time required (-1 to next espionage roll for the information)
Mission incomplete: additional time required
Mission incomplete: additional time required and target empire suspects espionage. Add +1 to
espionage roll on next attempt.
Mission failure and spy must make now make an Evasion roll to escape

Missions
There are a number of different types of missions that an Agent may perform. Each mission
requires the agent to spend a number of campaign turns setting up and performing it before any
success roll is made by the GM. Some missions also come with a difficulty rating, which can
modify the agents success test. Unless stated otherwise, all missions require only a single
campaign turn to complete. On any turn that an agent travels, they may not attempt their mission.
The espionage attempt is resolved by rolling a D20 and subtracting the appropriate skill and
53

looking on the Espionage Success Table. Sometime situational modifiers will apply. Each
mission is detailed below.
Combat Mission allows the agent to operate aggressively against other foreign agents in the
targeted system once it is revealed or suspected that a foreign agent is in a system. To locate the
suspected foreign spy the agent must make a successful espionage test, reducing the roll by his
counter intelligence skill. This roll is further modified by adding the foreign agents evasion skill. In
the case of multiple foreign agents in the system use the average evasion skill of all agents
present and then randomly determine which one is successful confronted. A mission failure will
reveal false information, such as exposing a suspected double agent or indicating that no foreign
agents are present.
This mission can also be used to assassinate popular public figures and create D3 points of
unrest. This is a difficult mission and is performed at a +4 penalty to the success test and requires
3 turns to perform. A successful mission eliminates the target and the agent must make an
evasion roll to escape successfully. This mission is against the rules of warfare and usually will
result in a war between the two empires involved. In addition, if the agent is captured sanctions
can be called against the empire that performed the mission.
Counter Intelligence Mission allows the agent to operate in defense of the system by planting
false information and cracking down on people who are easily compromised. When this mission is
selected, the player must choose an area (Diplomatic, Production, Economic, Military or Scientific)
that the agent is protecting. This mission adds the agents Counter Intelligence skill to the difficulty
of any agent performing a mission against the specific area guarded in the system and requires no
time to set up once the agent is in the system. In the case of multiple agents performing this
mission for the same area, use only the highest applicable rating.
Intelligence Gathering Mission (Civilian Traffic) allows the agent to determine the exact routes
of civilian trade and commerce and makes them more vulnerable to raids. This mission can also
be used to determine where raiders are likely to strike. When used to determine routes of civilian
trade there is a bonus of 1 applied to the roll. A successful mission reveals all trade routes
connected to the system and makes them vulnerable to empire sponsored raiding for the following
two turns. When used against raiders, the agent analyzes data about previous raider hits and
makes an educated guess as to the next target. This has the effect of adding and +1 bonus or
of his Intelligence score to the intercept rating (whichever is greater) on the first raider strike from
the data in the system for the turn that the agent performs the mission.
Intelligence Gathering Mission (Diplomatic) allows the agent to pay closer attention to the
company that the target empires ambassador keeps through various types of surveillance, which
could include electronic listening devices and even telepaths. The goal is to discover what the
target empire is doing diplomatically. This mission has an indefinite mission length. When the
target ambassador takes a diplomatic action, the GM will roll on the espionage chart to determine
if the agent correctly interprets the information. A success will give the player the correct
information.
Intelligence Gathering Mission (Economic) allows the agent to determine the current overall
financial situation that the target government is in along with the current turns financial yield. In
addition the agent will learn of any government options enacted in the system. This mission is
rather easy and has a bonus of 3 to the success.

54

Intelligence Gathering Mission (Facility Locations) allows the agent to determine if the current
system has any secret facilities and also determines what type of facilities those are. This type of
mission requires 2 campaign turns to complete and has a difficulty penalty of +2. This mission is
also used to determine the location of dedicated supply depots but it is done so without the
penalty.
Intelligence Gathering Mission (Fleet Composition) allows the agent to determine the current
deployment for the current system, which would include ships that are present at the beginning of
the turn and new ones that arrive by the end of the turn. The information gained only includes the
name of the vessel and its basic hull type. It will also not specify if the ship is a modified variant.
Intelligence Gathering Mission (Military Movement Orders) allows the agent to determine the
current orders for the fleets in the target system along with the transfer of marine units by
monitoring military channels, talking with contacts and observing military bases. This mission has
a difficulty modifier of +1. A success will give the agent the orders for D5 fleets in the system for
that turn. If the agent uncovers a threat to his empire, such as a planned attack or invasion, the
player is allowed to react. All Task forces in nearby systems can be used as reinforcements. Task
forces located in other theaters in the target system that could be reinforcements arrive in half the
normal time. Fighter Bases may also have all their fighters deployed. The status of task forces in
the area of attack is automatically at battle stations. This mission can also be used to determine
the routes to military supply lines, allowing them to become vulnerable to raid for D3 turns. This
gives a bonus to the raid succeeding as per the Supply Raid Table. This mission also has a
difficulty modifier of +1.
Intelligence Gathering Mission (Guerilla Locations) allows the agent to determine the location
of a number of Guerilla Units operating in the system. This is helpful when there is a rebellion and
the government wants to stop it quickly. A success will allow the agent to locate D3+1 units of
guerillas for D6 turns, allowing attacks against them. This mission can only be performed once it is
apparent that guerilla units exist.
Intelligence Gathering Mission (System Assessment) is usually the first mission an agent
performs once they arrive in a foreign system. This mission determines the level of unrest, the
quality of the ore and Q-40 deposits present, static system defenses (such as OSATs and bases),
the number of trade routes being utilized and the presence of any research post or alien ruins. No
success test is needed, but the agent cannot earn any experience from this mission. It is
performed as soon as the agent arrives in the system, unless they were held up in customs.
Intelligence Gathering Mission (Technology) allows an agent to determine the overall
technological achievements of the target empire or if performed in a system in which a research
post exists what the empires research teams are currently working on. The first type of mission
requires only 1 turn to perform and is done so at a 1 bonus. A success will reveal all researched
technology that the target empire has achieved. If the target empire is currently unknown to the
player, the agent will gain a brief rundown on the types of technology it possesses and if the
empire is more or less advanced in comparison to the agents empire. Some examples of this
would be gravitic drives, plasma weapons, laser weapons, techno-organic structures and so on.
The second type of mission is performed at a + 1 penalty and a success from that mission would
reveal what the research facility is working towards.

55

Sabotage Mission allows an agent to disrupt the operation of a single facility (such as from a
factory, training facility, shipyard, mine or research post) by either industrial sabotage or by
damaging the facility itself. This mission is more difficult to perform and requires 2 campaign turns
to execute and plan. Disruption through industrial sabotage can only slow down production on
facilities such as a shipyard construction dock, mine or factory. A successful industrial sabotage
attempt delays production for D3 turns. An empire may buy down the delay to a single turn by
spending 500 credits per turn of delay. If multiple agents from different empires target the same
facility and successful sabotage it use only the highest delay.
An agent may also chose to sabotage a facility through the use of explosives or other damaging
effects but this is more difficult than industrial sabotage. The agent may target facilities such as
shipyards, mines, factories, training facilities, Intelligence centers and research posts. Ships
based on the ground can also be viable targets. This mission has a base penalty of +4 to its
success. An agent may acquire foreign explosives to frame another empire. This adds an
additional +1 penalty to the success test and the explosives can only come from the target empire
or a neighboring empire. Otherwise it is assumed that the agent uses explosives from his empire.
A successful mission allows the agent to set the conditions of when the sabotage takes effect. The
explosion can be time delayed (max time of 2 turns) or set to a command trigger. However, the
longer the explosive device remains undetonated the greater the chance that someone will
discover it. The GM should roll 1D10 each turn and on a roll of 1-3 the device is found. Each turn
beyond the initial one adds +1 to the roll. Once detonated, the GM must roll a D20 to determine
the overall effect of the damage on the facility using the Damaging Sabotage Success Table.
This roll is modified by several factors including a bonus equal to one half (round down) of the
agents skill.
Damaging Sabotage Success Table
Modifiers
-2
+2
-1
-1

Facility is considered Large

Facility is considered small
Facility is located in space
Facility is Military

D20 Die Roll Result

1-3
4-9
10 - 15
16 19
20+

Superficial Damage: Production delayed 1 turn

Light Damage: Production delayed 1D3 Turns and damage needs to be repaired (10% of original costs)
Moderate Damage: 50% production lost and damage needs to be repaired (25% of original costs)
Severe Damage: 75% production lost and damage needs to be repaired (60% of original costs)
Facility is completely destroyed

Military vessels may only be sabotaged by double agents, which are of the same race as the ship
being sabotaged. During a Civil War, the rebel faction is the only side that may attempt to
sabotage military vessels. Such sabotage often targets critical systems such as sensors, weapons
and engines in an effort to disable those systems for a critical battle. The effect of this type of
sabotage is only felt for one battle on the turn that the agent successfully performed the sabotage.
Once forces are placed on the map the GM will announce any sabotage in the Power Allocation
Phase. The agent can choose to have the sabotage take effect later in the battle, set for a
maximum number of turns equal to one half of the agents sabotage rating. The agent can also
attempt to affect multiple systems but each one after the first adds a +1 to the mission difficulty
and only a single success roll is made. The effects will last for D3+1 turns. Any ship with an expert
engineer may attempt to bring the affected systems back on line earlier starting on the next turn,
but must make a repair roll for the affected system with a target number of 15 on a D20.

56

Successful use of sabotage will rise the difficult of additional attempts significantly on the following
turns. Governments will try and make sure that another similar event will not occur in a flurry of
activity designed to step up detection. Unfortunately, such activities are often short lived due to the
cost of manpower or credits. For the next D6 turns there is an additional +4 mission penalty for
any damaging sabotage attempts and an additional + 2 to the discovery roll in the effected system
on similar facilities (such as factories or shipyards). Similar structures outside of the effected
system also increase their security for the duration, but only by half the bonus.
After one such damaging incident, governments will try to prevent future mishaps by an affordable
increase is security. The difficulty for damaging sabotage missions are increased by +1, in
addition there is a bonus of +1 on all discovery checks in the affected structure types empire wide.
Technology Theft allows an agent to steal a single piece of an empires researchable technology
(such as any of the Weapon Tech) or to copy the empires research materials (such as allocated
research points). Generally this comes in the form technical documents and not examples. Any
military specific technology adds a +2 penalty to the mission difficulty. A success gives the empire
the technology in question.

Double Agents
Double agents normally arise from having an agent captured and failing a loyalty roll, but other
circumstances can arise in which a double agent is created such as a random event or civil war.
Movement and skill advancement is controlled by the empire that initially trained the agent. Orders
can be given from both empires that the agent is working for. Only one mission may be attempted
at a time, with preference given to the new employer. However if the double agent is being used in
a counter intelligence function, he will instead ignore that mission and carry out the other mission.
The new employer will receive reports every other turn as to what orders the agent has been
given. When a double agent attempts a mission against his own empire, a 2 bonus is applied to
the role and the agent ignores half (round down) of Counter Intelligence produced by other friendly
agents.

57

Tightening Border Security

Sometime the best defense against foreign agents is to simply crack down on border security and
run extensive background checks in hopes of making it difficult for foreign agents to enter legally.
Unfortunately this has the effect of costing a lot of credits to maintain. Upgrades to border security
is performed system wide and has the effect of adding a modifier to all border crossing rolls and is
available in two levels. Level one adds a +2 to the border crossing check and reduces the income
empire wide by 1%. Level two adds a +4 to the border crossing check and reduces the income
empire wide by 3% and adds a point of unrest to the empire.

Rangers
Rangers may be trained at specialized training camps called Ranger Training Bases. Each
training base is treated like a normal training facility of its size except it may only train rangers. In
addition the bases can be built on non-minbari worlds provided the owning government agrees
and the world is not a foreign home world or developed planet. Rangers may also be trained
aboard specialized training White Stars provided that the ship is assigned a special Ranger
Training Mission. For two turns the White Star is unavailable but up to 4 Rangers may be trained.
Rangers are treated like normal agents of their race and gain an addition skill bonus of +1 combat,
+ 1 evasion and +2 espionage. Once the Interstellar Alliance is formed, any race agent who joins
may be trained as a ranger. A ranger costs 400 credits to train. Rangers also have the special
ability to Patrol the Frontier. When the ranger uses this ability he disappears for D3+1 turns and
is considered to be actively looking for information for when the Shadows return. When the ranger
returns, and if the shadows or their agents have been active in the time span of the mission, the
player learns of one previously unknown event relating to the shadows. After the shadows have
left the campaign this ability can be used to determine aggressive activities within a targeted
foreign empire. This mission would allow ranger forces to respond to a surprise attack or to
increase the readiness level on a system that is about to be attacked.

58

Universal Intelligence Network

There are many forms of intelligence gathering available to an empire other than the use of
espionage agents. Some of these alternate forms are directed by the players themselves, but
most are automatic consequences of how private individuals and corporations react to events
around them.
ISN or Universe Today can be a useful tool for gaining information on the events in other
empires or an annoyance depending on how you look at it. Reporters tend to be everywhere and
create stories based on events around them. Random events that occur in an empire (and that are
known) to a player are reported on. News on events that occur in a system without a jump gate
will be delayed a turn. Likewise, the general nature, but not the details, of a treaty is generally
reported on such as a non-aggression treaty or Alliance and the establishment of trade relations
between empires become know once they go into effect.
The discovery of a previously unknown alien race or ruins in a new system is big news and as
such is reported on immediately. An empire can try and keep such contacts secret. The discovery
of alien ruins requires a military crackdown and a secret research base to be constructed. Every
turn the GM should roll a D20 and on a result of 1 a rumor has leaked about the discovery. After
that, there is only D6 turns until the information becomes public knowledge. Contact with an
unknown alien race is a little more difficult to hide especially if the two races become involved in
any type of trade or technology exchange. Once trade relations start, or if the unknown alien
empire entering a system controlled by the player makes contact, the event is reported on. Deals
made with the shadow agents are the exception to this.
The GM is encouraged to create a Universe Today to give his players after each turn highlighting
the events that occurred. Full articles need not be written, as headlines can easily provide the
players with what they may need to know.
Long Range Probes are another method in which it is possible to keep an eye on a neighbors
movements within a system. Such devices are launched into a neighboring system and quietly
collect information and transmits it back using hyperspace communications signal. These are
normally deployed using covert operations (requiring 2 turns to get set up) and can be deposited
from any ship class. They have a detection rating of 2 for the purposes of sensor sweeps. The
probes will detect fleet movement within the system theater that they are present and reveal the
basic vessel type (Cap, HCV or Medium) of vessels in task forces and the number of each. Any
type of shipyard or starbase will also be revealed. A discovered probe can be destroyed or used to
provide false information as to fleet strength and is not a reason to declare war against your
neighbor. New probes cost 500 credits each and are available from either an Intelligence Center
or the home world.
Long Ranged Listening Posts are essentially upgraded bases in a system adjacent to a foreign
empire. The bases have been upgraded with addition communications arrays and can listen in on
signals sent and received. A base can be upgraded in this fashion and requires 2 turns and 1,200
credits. Unfortunately the usefulness is limited since military signals are encrypted. However, as
fleets build up on the boarders the amount of communications signals increase drastically alerting
the listening post to the build up. The controlling player should be alerted anytime the number of
fleets change in neighboring systems.

59

Raiders
Raiders plague shipping lanes throughout the campaign and can be a constant pain to most
empires. Raids on shipping lanes can affect a systems production of credits, ore, Q-40 or even
trade with other empires. One defense against raiders is to provide active patrols and escort
duties on shipping and even that does not guarantee that raiders will be intercepted in time.
Generally only one ship will respond to a nearby raider attack. Governments can also attract
Pirate Hunters by posting bounties for the capture of the raiders. The amount of the bounty in
credits is determined by roll a D6 and multiplying by 100. Pirate hunters appear D2 turns later.
At the beginning of each turn the GM rolls a D20 for each empire to determine if a new raider
group appears to harass shipping lanes. On a result of 5 or less a new raider group is plaguing
shipping lanes and on that turn and each turn after that they may make D3+1 raids against
freighters. Each trade route the Empire has increases this number by +1. Vree trading posts add
an additional +1 to this roll as well. The GM will determine what a particular freighter is carrying.
Once intercepted, the raiders may not make any further attacks that turn.
When the raiders are active the GM must make a D20 roll on the Raider Interception Table,
applying all applicable modifiers, to determine if the raiders are intercepted. Usually only 1 or 2
ships- or even a number of fighters, of task force will arrive on the scene to deal with raider threats
when they are intercepted. For ease of play, a quick resolution system is provided so that the GM
can determine the results of interception without playing out the battle. Add +2 to the roll if the
raiders have a vessel with a working jump engine. The GM can add another +1 to +4 if the raider
group is particularly large. Intercepted raiders are generally considered captured with 50% fighter
loss.
Raider Interception Success Table
Modifiers
-1
-1
-1
-1
+6
-1
+3
-3
+10
+3
+8
+2

Additional raider strike to system shipping lanes that turn (Cumulative)

Area has a history of Raider Activity (Previous turns raiders hit shipping lanes)
Each additional task force deployed looking for raiders
Nearest task force has jump engine
Nearest task force is on non-shipping lane patrol
Nearest task force is on shipping lane escort duty
Nearest task force is on shipping lane patrol
Pirate Hunters employed
Nearest task force on Garrison Duty
Raider group running silent before they strike
Raider group is using craft with jump engine
Per Parsec away

D20 Die Roll Result

2 or less
3-7
8-10
11
12
13
14
15-20

Intelligence good, intercept raiders before they can attack (Raiders escape on D10 roll of 10+)
Raiders are intercepted during the attack on shipping lanes (Raiders escape on D10 roll of 9+)
Raiders attack shipping targets, but flee before they can destroy the freighter and interceptors can
arrive. Cargo is safe
Intercept raiders 20% through cargo transfer (Raiders escape on D10 roll of 7+)
Intercept raiders 25% through cargo transfer (Raiders escape on D10 roll of 6+)
Intercept raiders 50% through cargo transfer (Raiders escape on D10 roll of 5+)
Intercept raiders 75% through cargo transfer (Raiders escape on D10 roll of 3+)
Raiders escape with cargo as the prize

Once a raider group appears the GM must create the raider group and track them in a fashion
similar to an empire. Raider groups move on the star map as if they had a Speed Tech of 3,
60

unless they possess ships with jump drives. This is to account for raider fleets trying to hide their
presence. They may move and attack shipping lanes as they choose. Each successful raid allows
the group to operate for another campaign turn, this is referred to as Raid Points. A raider group
is disbanded if it does not have a successful raid for 4 campaign turns regardless of how many
raid points it has accumulated.
Some raider groups act as mercenaries and can be hired by an empire to harass a neighboring
empire. When such a group appears in an empires territory they will approach the empire about
working for them. The specific terms of the deal are randomly determined by the GM. Empires
may also actively seek out such groups. Raiders who are already striking at targets in the empires
territory may not be recruited. Captured raiders may also be negotiated with. Conditions of the
raider employment will depend on the needs and desires of the group. The GM will roll to
determine what the Raiders will request.
Raider Mercenary Terms
D3 Roll
1
2
3

Terms
Requests a sanctuary base be built and the Empire protects them and provides maintenance on the
base.
Raiders will operate secretly out of the Empires territory and hit nearby shipping lanes. They split the
results of the raid with the empire
Raiders will operate out of the empires territory and disrupt a neighboring empires shipping lanes in
exchange for the cost of their maintenance plus 1D6 x 100 credits a turn.

Cargo
Freighters carry a wide variety of cargo throughout the galaxy and each has limited space. Each
type of cargo occupies a different amount of cargo space. Ore and Q-40 occupies 10 boxes for
each unit, and 1 Credit (commercial products) takes D10 boxes. Freighters can also transport
fighters or munitions to a fleets. Fighters occupy 1 space for each point of ramming factor they
have. Missiles occupy 1 space per missile, but twice that number of fighter missiles can be stored.
Mines are 4 to a unit. People are normally only transported on Luxury liners or Passenger ships
and each cargo unit can contain 15 passengers but this can be doubled in the event of an
emergency.

Civilian Freighter Cargo Capacity

Freighter Type

Cargo units carried

Abbai Allanti Freighter

Bulk Freighter
Commercial Freighter
Drazi Transbitrd
Fast Freighter
Luxury Liner
Minbari Retlata Transport
Ore Freighter
Passenger Liner
Tanker
Tug

160 cargo units

200 cargo units
160 cargo units
64 cargo units
80 cargo units
96 cargo units
220 cargo units
360 cargo units
160 cargo units
144 cargo units
60 or 68 cargo units

61

Using Captured Raider Vessels

Sooner or later a player will captured a raider vessel and he will want to use it. Raider vessels are
subject to the same increase in maintenance as any other non-racial vessel is. In addition each
raider vessel comes with a Reputation, so it may be wanted in other systems. Reputation is
determined by rolling a D5. Every time a captured raider vessel is moved travel through a foreign
system the GM must roll a D20 against the vessels reputation. If the result is equal to or less than
the reputation the vessel is spotted and patrols may try to apprehend the vessel.
If the vessel is to be used as an espionage craft the rules of dealing with it are a little different than
the rules for normal raiding. The GM has the option of playing out the battle with the vessel or
rolling a D10 to completely resolve the battle, as with other raider vessels. On a result of 8+ the
vessel has been captured by the patrol. Any other result the vessel escapes and is on the run. It
must leave the territory, of face another capture attempt this time with a result of 6+ being a
capture result.
If the player chooses to use the vessel to raid the neighboring shipping lanes then resolve the use
as a normal raider strike. No special rules apply. If the raider vessel is captured by the authorities,
it automatically causes D2 unrest for the empire that was using the vessel just from the humiliation
of being caught in the act. It is not possible to have the crew fight to the death or self-destruct to
prevent the increase of Civil Unrest as no military unit would be that fanatical unless at war.
Most empires would not bother using a captured raider vessel and the game master can enforce
this and simply not allow such ships to be used at all. The captured raider vessel would be
impounded and scrapped.

62

Diplomacy
Much of the original television series centered around diplomacy and it is no surprise that the
Campaign version of the game also involves a lot of diplomatic maneuvers. Diplomacy can literally
make or break an empire long before warships enter the picture. Diplomacy is carried out in real
time discussions with the players who control the empires. When dealing with completely NPC
races the GM can opt to roll on the diplomacy reaction chart.

Ambassadors
Ambassadors are the wheels that keeps diplomacy running and without them nothing could be
negotiated. Each race has one ambassador that resides on Babylon 5 and has a seat on the
Council. An ambassador must be present at a location to discuss terms and negotiate treaties
and deals with any other race. Negotiations conducted anywhere but a private sector of space
soon become public knowledge either in fact or speculation. An ambassador may leave Babylon
5 aboard any friendly vessel.

Babylon 5 Council
Each government gets a set on the Babylon 5 council. Representatives from Centauri Republic,
Earth Alliance, League of Non-Aligned Worlds, Minbari Federation, Narn Regime and Vorlon
Empire make up the council. The council is often used when one empire feels that they need
justice against another empire usually in the form of sanctions or Aid. The Council listens to both
sides of an issue and then their vote is cast. Each member of the Council only gets one vote and
the league worlds only jointly get a single vote on any matter and usually elect a representative to
plead their side in a major issue. Any member of the council may call for a meeting by informing
the GM of their intentions.

Sanctions
Sometimes when a government gets to out of control the other members of the B5 Council need
to use their combined Sanction power. The Council must vote and pass an order of sanctions for
them to go into effect and they have the choice of utilizing trade and economic sanctions,
restitutions or blockading of the offending empires jump gates. A sanction can place travel and
trade restrictions on the offending government. Trade routes between the empires would be
temporarily halted. Such sanctions also will hurt a governments economy. Each empire
participating in the Sanctions that borders the target empire will also reduce all funds produced by
2%. Major Powers double this amount if they bordering an empire that is being sanctioned. Travel
restrictions are more difficult to enforce, usually involving the blockading of jump gates and heavy
patrols in the restricted area. Restitution is simply the payment of a fine to another government, to
cover damage expenses.

Government Leadership
Leaders in the government, such as the Minbaris Grey Council or Earth Alliances President, can
also conduct negations and create deals. However, these ruling bodies would rarely be seen
outside of their borders. Travel outside of home territory can be disastrous since they would not
have a full compliment of protection. Assassination attempt target numbers are lowered by 1 point.
While a player does have control of the direction his empire explores and makes many of the
decisions that impact the race, he does not have omnipresence control over the government since
there are many events that can take place that are the result of government decisions which the
players cannot avoid or change.

63

Diplomatic Transports
Leaders often travel aboard ships called Diplomatic Transports. A diplomatic transport usually
modifies fleet reactions when an alien fleet is encountered. This modification is usually towards a
positive end and hopefully will avoid an unnecessary border skirmish. Abbai Marata Diplomatic
Transport, Earth Force One, Minbari Grey Shalin War Cruiser and Pakmara Trashull Armed
Liner are all considered Diplomatic Transports.

Major Powers
With great power comes great responsibility. Playing a major power in the B5 Wars campaign
game is no different. Minor powers will constantly hound you for help in their latest plight and if
you do not give it to them they cry foul in the council chambers. Worse is when you have nonaggression treaties with both sides of a conflict and they ask for your support, which you cannot
give without breaking one treaty in favor of another. It is far too easy to become the galaxys police
force if one is not too careful. Given enough time and degree of success a minor power may
become a major power during the course of the campaign. A major power does gain two
advantages in exchange for the troubles they have to put up with.
Increased Maintenance gives the major power a bonus multiplier to the overall
maintenance available. Most major races receive a bonus of 1.5 The Minbari receive a
bonus of 2 and the Vorlons have a bonus of 10.
Increased Support allows the major power to lend military aid to another power in the form
of logistical supplies. Maintenance points are simply transferred to the other power at a one
for one ratio. Minor powers, such as the League of Non-aligned Worlds, transfer
Maintenance points at a ratio of 2 for 1. Raider groups and races similar to the Belt Alliance
provide support at a ration of 3 to 1. (It is far better to have such groups provide support in
the form of ships and attacks than logistical support). This is one of the reasons that the
major powers are sought after by members of the League Worlds for support of their war
effort. Support from a major power prevents Civil Unrest levels from rising as a result of the
empire being in war. Providing support is one method of helping out an empire without
getting directly involved in a conflict. A major power could simply chose to send warships to
assist as opposed to lending logistical support, but that would not prevent unrest levels
from rising.
It is entirely possible that one of the minor powers in a campaign can become large enough that
they are considered a major power. It is very unlikely and depends on many factors; number of
systems held, respect of other empires, fleets, victories, strength of economy and so on. All these
things combined contribute points to the empire development. The rules are presented in detail in
the Game Masters Campaign Section.

64

Treaties
Diplomatic treaties can shape the course of the campaign and provide many unique situations.
There are a number of different treaty types available and the requirements and guidelines of
each are different. While each empire can add additional regulations to their treaties the GM may
overrule anything he feels is unbalanced. Treaties are in place until they are broken by a players
actions or by act of a higher power. There is no such thing as a time limited treaty. Governments
should enter into Alliances cautiously.

Neutrality
All empires are considered to have a Neutrality agreement in the beginning of the campaign.
Neutrality is lost when one empire actively engages in conflict with another empire by ordering an
attack. Skirmishes over an unclaimed world do not count. The loss of neutrality can result in an
increase in civil unrest. Roll a D6, on a 5 or 6 the unrest level raises by 1 point.

Non-Aggression Treaties
A non-aggression treaty simply means that the two empires will not war with another. Trade routes
may be established between systems. Neither side may attack the other even if they end up in the
same system. (Some circumstances may cause this to be ignored). They are not required to loan
defense against a hostile neighbor. Breaking a treaty of non-aggression by attacking an
unsuspecting system cancels all trade with that empire and increases unrest in the system by 1
point. The attackers unrest level rises by 2 points. Just breaking a treaty of non-aggression
through support of another empire in a conflict raises the unrest level by 2 points.

Alliances
Forming an alliance between two empires can be both good and bad, depending on what happens
as the game progresses. An alliance allows two empires to pool research points if the wish to. It
does not allow the trading of race specific technology. However, if one empire in an alliance is
attacked all members of the alliance must commit at least 25% of vessels used in any attack fleet
or defensive fleet in the theater of war. Neither empire may spy on the other, but instead they
share information on most fleet deployments. Breaking an alliance is a very serious issue and
raises the unrest level by 5.

Protectorates
A protectorate is a specialized type of alliance in which one major power agrees to act as a
guiding parent and protector for a minor power, usually in exchange for economic considerations.
The minor power may no longer maintain a large navy and is limited to fielding only half of what it
normally could. Other possible considerations include exclusive trade agreements, payment of
tribute, or tariffs imposed on trade with other races. The minor power benefits from the protection
offered by the major powers military, which must protect the power at all costs. Exact details are
subject to GM approval.
A protectorate can be a dangerous alliance to enter into since the minor power still maintains a
degree of independence and could drag their parent race into numerous unnecessary conflicts. A
protectorate gains independence when it becomes as large as the major power in number of
systems held.

65

War
War is a terrible state to be at since it means a lot of vessels and people are going to be destroyed
in a short time. When war has been declared all trade between the two empires is stopped. Being
in a state of war allows the empire to increase the available levels of maintenance for the duration
of the conflict at the reduction of funds. One half of funds produced in systems may be converted
directly into maintenance points. Other empires may choose to protest the declared war by
withdrawing trade routes and blockading the use of their systems. Multiple empires may fight on
either side, forming temporary war pacts so long as they had non-aggression pacts previously.
Every other turn after war has been declared there is a chance of it raising civil unrest, regardless
if the war was justified or not. Roll a D6, on a 5 or 6 the unrest level raises by 1 point.

Sanctuary
A government may provide sanctuary for a fleet or race engaged in hostilities with another. This
action is declared in the diplomacy stage of the turn and doe not need to be publicly announced.
Such acts are hard to keep secret for long and will be known by all within D2 turns of forces
receiving sanctuary. Non-aggression treaties prevent hostile governments from attacking fleets
that have been given sanctuary.
Non-combatants that escape to friendly government territory that are providing sanctuary draw a
minimal amount of resources from credits at a rate of 1 credit per 1,000 (Round up) noncombatants. The exact number of refugees that escape are determined randomly by the GM.
Large numbers of refugees can overwhelm smaller colonies and cause unrest and other
problems.
The big benefit to sanctuary is that it may prevent a player from being eliminated from the game
completely, even though his actions would be extremely limited if all systems belonging to him
have been wiped out. Fleets given sanctuary draw from the maintenance pool of the government
granting it.

66

Government System Management Options

A government has a number of options available to them that will impact how much revenue,
military support and resources a system will produce. Sometimes measures taken by government
to maximize output will bring consequences in the long run. Once an option has been enacted, it
cannot be changed for a number of turns. Unless stated otherwise, it takes two turns for an option
to start having an effect.
Economy Options primarily affects a systems production of funds. These options must stay in
effect for 12 turns or more once they are enacted. The level of Tax increase or decrease may not
change during this time frame.
Open Port lifts a systems travel restrictions and turns the system into a free port of call for
aliens of all types. Over time the system will becomes a trading hub. Unfortunately, with
such an open port the system also can become a haven for raiders, spies and other agents
of chaos. Each turn after this option is enacted, the economy of the system raises by 5% up
to a maximum level of 25%. In addition the system can support twice the number of trade
routes. Espionage attempts on the roll gain a 2 target modifier. Minbari are rather
xenophobic and do not deal well with a completely open port and as such receive 4 points
of civil unrest when this option in announced.
Social Improvements funnels money directly to government programs that improve the
overall living condition of the systems citizens. The government must choose the
percentage of the economy that will go to the social programs in increments of 5%.
Enacting Social improvements lowers civil unrest in the system by 1 when they go into
effect. Overtime these programs can help improve a systems classification. However, such
changes do not occur overnight.
Tax Decrease lowers the amount of taxes that citizens pay to the government reducing
revenue and sometimes this lowers unrest of the inhabitants. A tax decrease must be done
in 5% increments and comes in 4 levels- Slight (5%-10%), Light (15%-20%), Moderate
(25%-50%) and Heavy (55% - 75%). Biggest disadvantage from a tax decrease is that the
government will not be able to collect credits. Any tax decrease lowers unrest by 1 point
immediately, Moderate and Heavy decreases lower the unrest by 1 additional point. Higher
levels of Tax decrease may lower civil unrest though out the course of the game and could
lead to a population explosion. Tax decrease takes effect immediately.
Tax Increase raises the level of taxes that citizens pay to the government. Increased tax
levels can lead to high levels of civil unrest in a system. A tax increase must be done in 5%
increments and comes in 4 levels- Slight (5%-10%), Light (15%-20%), Moderate (25%50%) and Heavy (55% - 300%). Slight and light tax increases have a slim chance of raising
unrest by 1 point. Roll a D10, on a 9+ a slight tax increase raises unrest, on a 8+ a light tax
increase raises the unrest. Moderate tax increases have a chance to raise unrest every 4
turns. Heavy Tax increase raises unrest by 2 points initially and then has a 10% chance to
increase unrest by 1 point every other turn. Tax increase takes effect immediately.
Maintenance Options primarily affects a systems production of maintenance. These options,
and the level they are set at, must stay in effect for 12 turns or more once they are enacted.

67

Military Cutbacks reduce the systems contribution to maintenance points in exchange for
additional funds. Every 2 points of maintenance gives the economy 1 point. A system also
loses some defense capacity in a ratio equal to the percentage of the cutback, rounded up.
Military Build Ups increase a systems contribution to maintenance points at the reduction
of the economy. Every point of economy gives the maintenance 2 additional points. A
system can also increase its defense capacity in a ratio equal to the percentage gain of the
buildup, rounded down. Civil unrest may also result form this option every two turns at a
chance equal to one half the percentage gain.
Resource Management Options primarily affects a systems production of resources. When an
option is chosen the player must state if it applies to Ore or Q-40 or both. These options can be
used for any length of time but require 1 additional turn to stop.
Conservation decreases a systems resource production by 25% and extends the life of
the deposits. A deposit under conservation increases the target number for Deposit
Exhaustion by +2 and lowers the target number to produce after exhaustion by 2.
Forced Labor Camps
Races such as the Centauri Republic have found ways to deal with the decrease in
production when they occupy a conquered system- they create work farms and forced labor
camps. This increases production greatly, but it also generates more resentment towards
the race employing the technique. Like all government management options setting up the
labor camps requires 2 turns. Once in place each turn increases the production output by
5% up to a maximum of 25%. Centauri Republic work camps are extremely efficient and
gain a bonus of 5%. Target numbers for the formation of Guerrilla units also decreases by
1. Once enacted it cannot be retracted.
Production Increase allows a systems resources to be heavily extracted resulting in more
resources being produced. This costs the economy a penalty of 5% for each 10% increase
in production up to a maximum of 50%. This cost covers the additional workers being
employed. This option has a chance to shorten the life of the deposit. The GM should roll a
D10 and if the result is equal to the percentage that the production has increased then
mines life shortens by 1 day. (Example, if the mines production had been increased 40%
then on a D10 roll of 1-4 the mines life would be shortened) A deposit under this option
permanently decreases the target number for Deposit Exhaustion by 1.
Strip Mining should be the last resort of an empire since it heavily impacts the system and
shortens the life of the deposit. Strip mining doubles the resource production but can lead
to environmental disasters and food shortages. In addition each turn of strip mining reduces
the life of the deposit by 2 turns. A deposit under this option permanently decreases the
target number for Deposit Exhaustion by 2 and lowers the target number to produce after
exhaustion by 3.

68

Unrest Management Control Options

Every government has methods for controlling unrest levels. Unrest management options are
slightly different from other control options since they can have an equally bad effect on the unrest
levels. These options can also be triggered by random events.

Martial Law
When civil unrest becomes too high and there is open guerrilla resistance on a colony, an empire
may decide to enforce Martial Law. This cannot be enacted on worlds taken by force. The turn
following when martial law was declared civil unrest lowers by 8. Each world under Martial Law
can increase the number of troops by 25%, to help enforce the peace.
Guerillas units cannot form for 4 turns and the ones who are already active have a chance to be
caught during these 4 turns. Roll 1D10 for each unit, on a 1 or 2 the guerilla unit has be caught
and jailed. After the initial 4 turns guerillas may only be caught on a D10 roll of 1. In addition
Guerillas are penalized and additional +1 to their attack rolls during Martial Law because they
have a harder time getting equipment and moving to attack.
Once enacted by a government Martial law stays in place until the GM determines the government
decides that it is time to stop. It is never exactly know how the general public will deal with Martial
Law. Every turn after Martial Law has been enacted there is a chance that civil unrest will change.
Roll a D6, on a 1 the unrest lowers by 1 On a roll of 3 or 5 nothing happens and if a 6 is rolled
then the civil unrest raises by 1.

Propaganda Campaigns
Propaganda campaigns are carefully structured to change ones view on another empire through
the use of media. Such campaigns can take from 2 turns to 6 turns to have an effect and allow a
success roll. The GM should roll a D10 and on a roll of 1-4 then the campaign was successful and
will have an effect on the population. This roll can be modified by up to a maximum of 2 either
direction if the GM feels that the propaganda is against the racial bias of the race. A roll of 10
indicates a disastrous failure on the campaigns part and it has the opposite effect or worse!
Effective Propaganda campaigns can have several different results on its own people depending
on what effect the empire is going for. Fleets could be convinced to fight a foe despite the odds
and as such would be allowed to ignore or reroll fail morale checks. It is also possible to lower the
impact on civil unrest when the empire declares war on another empire by 1 or 2.

69

Miscellaneous Events
Babylon 5 was a rich television show full of many great plot lines, events and spectacular scenes.
Unfortunately on the campaign level some things are hard to create because of the unbalancing
effect they would have. This section is devoted to such events and explains how they work in the
campaign setting or why they are not allowed in the campaign setting.

Allying with the First Ones

Besides allying with the Shadows, the other 5 first ones are out there somewhere in the campaign
map and may only be convinced to join the war against the shadows when they start moving. This
can only happen if one or more have encountered and if all the minor races have formed an
alliance along with any 2 of the major races. The alliance must send a vessel to convince the First
Ones to join the battle against the shadows. This is a special mission and only one vessel may be
sent on this mission.

Bone Head Maneuver

While it may be tempting to destroy a jump gate by opening another jump point inside of it, no
vessel (or task force) can withstand the resulting explosion. The GM realizes that the White Star
did in fact successfully pull this maneuver off in the Babylon 5 TV show. Unfortunately that ship
was what is considered a hero ship, and as such can do the impossible.

Fleet Disappearance
Sometimes an empire will lose contact with one of their fleets that was exploring an unknown
system. This generally happens when a fleet stumbles on to Zhadum or other such systems that
have an active shadow presence. Vorlon space should never be entered by any empire, since the
fleet will never return. The GM will determine if a battle needs to be fought or if the fleet will be
utterly destroyed. It is usually advisable for empires to not send additional fleets to systems that
caused a fleet to disappear.

Telepaths
Telepaths may not be employed during the campaign to use against the shadows unless one of
the empires discovers this weakness. This can only happen if all the minor races form an alliance
along with any 2 of the major races. In addition, this alliance has to win D3+1 battles against the
shadows. After that, telepaths may be hired to use in battle. Each PSI Rating (maximum of 12) is
equal to 10 credits. During the course of the campaign Shadows may also acquire telepaths. This
can only happen if Earth Alliance allies with the shadows. Telepaths working for the shadows will
be of random (D12) PSI rating.

70

Racial Enhancements
Each race has its own strengths and weaknesses that make it unique to play. These usually make
the game that much more memorable and fun. However, these enhancements are not designed to
even be remotely fair and in some cases balanced. They are designed to give an extra bit of
character to the race.
Abbai Matriachate starts the campaign with Terraforming Tech, which is assumed to have been
used on any applicable systems at the start of the campaign. Due to the lack of fissionable
materials in their initial systems captor and proximity mines constructed by the Abbai require 50%
more credits to build than normal. This cost is lifted when they colonize outside their starting
territory. The Abbai home world is treated as if it was an agricultural planet in regards to
abundance of produced food because of their agricultural capabilities. They usually receive a
bonus to most senor tests as outlined in the rules. Abbai must hire mercenaries for 75% of their
marine contingents used for boarding actions. They are limited to hiring 6 mercenary units a turn
in this fashion. Mercenaries cost the Abbai 2 credits a turn to employ for each unit.
The Alacans were devastated by the Dilgar and start a campaign game on a barren system.
The Balosian Underdwellers are a race of underground dwellers and are not part of the league.
Their home world is a network of caverns and caves and if it comes under attack, defending
marine units receive a +2 bonus. Planetary bombardment target numbers are also reduced by 2.
Balosians purchase a number of their ships from the Centauri and follow the same rules for doing
so that the Gaim do. Their empire is very suspicious of outsiders and protect their military secrets
extremely well. Any espionage attempt to discover information relevant to the military is done so at
mission modifier of +2.
Belt Alliance is truly a minor power since they start the campaign in the Sol system in habiting the
Asteroid belt and possess 8,000 hard earned Credits, 6,000 units of ores and only 10 units of Q40. They have the unique ability to colonize and utilize asteroid fields for their main habitations
and to co-habituate with other willing empires. A Belt Alliance asteroid establishment requires 2
turns to establish and produces D10x10 credits and 500 points of Maintenance. This is doubled if
the asteroid belt is dense. Asteroid belts must roll to determine the type of deposits available, but
do so at a +1 modifier. The Belt Alliance starts with only 8 points worth of shipyards and 2 medium
factories and one star base. The belt alliance may also purchase light fighters (such as Centuari
Razik Fighters, Narn Goriath Fighters) from any empire that is willing to sell them to be used in
their escort ships but they can construct Delta V fighters. Any vessel or fighter sold to the Belt
alliance by another empire (Earth Alliance included) will have an increased maintenance cost of
25%. Belt alliance may not build research centers (but may construct research bases) unless they
build them near stellar phenomena or ancient ruins. There is a very, very slim chance that they will
discover some ruins or a relic in asteroid field. They may only establish traditional trade routes if
they possess a system.
The Belt alliance may sell its services to patrolling shipping lanes for anyone who is willing to hire
them. Rates should range from 5 to 50 credits per parsecs covered in the patrol per campaign
turn. An empire can also loan fighters and fighter pilots to the Belt Alliance if they are operating
within their territory, but the fighters must stay in their home territory. Since the majority of their
craft designed for escort duties, the Belt Alliance is extremely limited in their fleet movements.
Only the survey ship may explore outside friendly territory and the rest follow police ship
restrictions.
71

Belt alliance can colonize unclaimed worlds but are limited on defense. Only a maximum of one
half of the garrison may be trained and deployed. They may not take worlds by force or build
supply depots but they may construct their own jump gates. Initially they have a non-aggression
pact with Earth Alliance and may travel that space freely.
Brakiri Syndicracy starts the campaign with one free weapon or ship enhancement tech. Their
ship selection is limited by the corporate proportions presented in Ships of the Fleet with a
margin of 5%. If the Brakiri ever declare war, or war is declared on them then they may ignore the
corporate structure for the duration of war. After the war they must try and get back to their original
composition as soon as possible.
Ak-Habil Conglomearte
Ly-Nakir Industries
Pri-Wakat Concepts & Solutions
Im-Rehsa Technologies
Others

35%
30%
20%
10%
5%

Corumal Dreadnoughts and all their variants suffer from the breakdowns detailed in Ships of the
fleet page 47. The roll must be made before each battle in a campaign. In addition star map
movement is limited to only half due to the breakdowns. Brakiri earn an additional research point
each turn for each Ishtaka Techbase that is operational.
Centauri Republic starts with one free expert officer that they may select. Rutarian Strike
Fighters are harder to detect at long range because of their stealth abilities and increase the
difficulty by 3. Their availability is only restricted by the carriers they may operate from. The
Dargan is capable of slipping undetected through systems disguised as any civilian vessel
because of its chameleon sensors.
The Corillani Theocracy has three distinct militaries and the maintenance allowance should be
divided among them in the following fashion: CPN 50%, OSF 30% and DoC 20%. Fleets must be
constructed to only contain one of the three different militaries. Civil wars are usually fought
between the CPN and OSF militaries.
The Descari Committees are a xenophobic race and suffers one point of unrest anytime a trade
route is established with a foreign empire and they may not enter into an alliance or share a
system with another race.
Drazi Freehold Drazi Sunhawks are easily converted into one of their variant after the vessel is
constructed. It takes only one turn to refit and this can be done without the aid of a shipyard. Drazi
Nightfalcons have difficulty launching all their Sky Serpents at once, refer to the rules in Ships of
the Fleet page 53. During war Drazi Throkan Corvettes may be used to attack like any other
combat vessel. Drazi fleets are more aggressive and may modify morale rolls by 1.
Drazi deploy a special fighter mine that allows the empire to provide some limited support it its
light fighters. The mine has only enough supplies for use during one campaign turn. It is not cost
effective to resupply them. A damaged Star Snake fighter can land in the mine and there are
materials to repair up to half of its structure. The mine allows the Drazi to double a fighter units
movement range or patrol. Drazi may also use the mine to lay an ambush using only fighters. The
mine can also be used like a normal proximity mine.

72

Earth Alliance starts the campaign with one explorer vessel. Their second star base is the
diplomatic Babylon 5 station and it must be located at Epsilon and may not contain production
facilities nor is maintenance, Ore or Q-40 collected. Technically the area is considered neutral
space. They are allowed to station Star Furies at the station for standard defense. B5 may not be
upgraded to a listening post. If war is declared on them by a non-human government or if there is
war between any two of the other Minor or Major Powers they are allowed to upgrade the stations
firepower. The upgrade is public knowledge and requires 1 turn to complete. The cost is handled
like any other refit.
The Explorer Class ship carries enough materials to construct up to 5 temporary jump gates.
These are unique to Earth Alliance and is used to expand the their domain quickly. These jump
gates are smaller and rather limited in their function. They can only allow a Heavy Combat Vessel
to pass through and can only contain a maximum of 2 beacons regardless of the technology
available. They also can only function for 12 turns before they require maintenance for upkeep.
They require the Explorer to spend two turns setting them up.
EarthForce One is limited to 2 active vessels, one of which is the EarthForce Presidents ship and
the other belongs to the Vice President. There is an economic penalty of +50% for construction.
The Elite fighters point cost is paid for entirely out of credits when fighters are assigned to the
vessel.
Only 1 Babylon 5 station may ever be constructed, since it is the last of the stations. Starfury
Badgers are considered long ranged fighters and can operate twice as far as normal fighters on
patrol. Badgers do not count towards the half limit of fighter deployment for Fleet Attack Orders
and may deployed. Twelve turns after Earth Alliance allies with the shadows they may begin
refitting some of their Omegas into Shadow Omegas. A Shadow Omega is considered an
uncommon variant of the Omega.
Gaim Intelligence starts the campaign with one ship with an elite crew. In addition they earn a
10% bonus to experience every time they are in combat or on training maneuvers. They do not
possess normal shipyards and do most of their starship modifications with the use of dry docks.
Dry docks function like a shipyard with the same construction rate but they cost half as much
(construction and maintenance) but can only modify hulls. Gaim also receive a bonus to the
construction of biological weapons.
Except for the Koist Fighter, all designs are purchased from other empires or on the free market or
sometimes salvaged from a battlefield. Delta V's maybe purchased on the open market. The Gaim
pay 50% of the point value in credits for any hull purchased. In an exploration campaign hulls may
only be purchased from other empires for conversion once contact has been made. During
modification the Gaim spends an amount of additional credits and ore equal to 25% of the combat
value of the ship. The ship is then treated as if it was being modified into a variant. An empire may
not prevent this purchase unless they are at war with the Gaim or one of their allies. As an option
the GM can roll a D10 to determine if the cost has increased any. On a roll of 1 the price drops by
10%. On a roll of 2-7 there is no change in price. On a roll of 8 the price has increased 10%. On a
roll of 9 the price has increased by 25% and on a roll of 10 the price has increased by 50%.
Koist Fighters are not restricted to the normal fighter patrol limits and can move at the full speed
tech range because of the nature of their pilots. They may also operate without the support of
carriers for 4 campaign turns. After which time they must spend 1 turn at a base or with a carrier
to resupply. Their ships are all long range vessels and are not restricted by duration times. During
73

war they must maintain a supply line like anyone else. Geun Defender and Tiac long Range
Explorer are all considered limited deployment vessels.
The Grome Autocracy is very self-reliant and will not steal or trade for technology. Grome are
skilled at guerilla warfare and military units that become guerrilla fighters receive a bonus of 2 to
their actions. Martial Law tests to locate rebel guerilla units are done so at -2 modifier. Grome
sensor nets are extremely poor and as a result have their rating reduced by 4 to a minimum of 1.
The Hurr Republic is a corrupted society. All espionage attempts against them can be done so at
a 1 success test bonus in exchange for the spending of 1 credit. A maximum of 3 credits can be
spent this ways and is effectively considered the purchase of the information from individuals or
the use of bribes.
The Ipsha Baronies start with no Q-40 deposits in their beginning territories and are not
recommended for exploration campaigns. Ipsha must arrange each fleet to contain only one of the
5 baronies and ideally should start with 5 different fleets at the beginning of the game. Any time a
race makes a trade agreement with the Ipsha there is a risk that trade route will come under
attack by another Ipsha faction. The GM determines this by rolling a D20 and adding the current
amount of unrest minus 20. If the result is 18 then a small civil war starts between two of the Ipsha
baronies. The GM can roll a D5 to determine which of the 5 factions are involved.
Llort starts the campaign with one selected Weapon Technology. Their nature grants them +1
bonus to success tests made for raiding and they also receive the normal experience earned. In
addition they automatically gain an additional civil unrest point any time they take unrest. Martial
Law has half the usual effect on the population because of how rapidly the government changes.
Kor-Lyan Kingdom starts with abundant ore resources on their home world. The Kor-Lyans are
very honorable people and will not break any agreement made.
The Markab Theocracy is a deeply religious race. Anytime they normally gain unrest there is a
chance that the people who believe they are responsible for the problems will atone for their sins.
The target number is the amount of unrest generated minus 1. The GM rolls a D10 and if the
result is equal to or less than the target number the unrest has been atoned and is negated.
Markab may never declare war unless they have already been attacked. Markab vessels that
have been damaged and have lost at least one section may ram enemy ships during times of war
or when defending a colony world. In campaign year 2259 the Markab are wiped out by the Drafa
plague. The GM should roll a D20 and on that turn in 2259 the Markab all die and the empire is
removed from the game.
Minbari Federation starts the campaign with Improved Jump Gate Technology. The Minbari
worker caste is extremely efficient and as such the Minbari automatically gain a 5% increase to
their production rates empire wide. The Minbari are only allowed to have one Grey Sharlin
Warcrusier and it should be the first vessel they purchase. The vessel cannot be pointed out as
different unless the conditions are met that appear in Ships of the Fleet.
White Stars are able to perform limited repairs during the repair phase without the need to
sacrifice their movement. They can repair a maximum of 20 boxes of damage in this manner,
treating critical hits as boxes as defined in the self-repair rules. A destroyed system must be
completely repaired before it can function again. This ability is lost if C&C is destroyed. White Star
Command Ships are considered uncommon while the Vorlons are present, but become rare when
the Vorlons depart.
74

White Stars should be kept secret and their construction performed at remote or secret shipyards.
Once Shadows have begun to move openly the white star becomes an unlimited deployment
vessel. After the shadows have left the campaign no more maybe constructed. Esharan AntiFighter frigates are not required to carry fighters and may ignore the rule concerning fighter
deployment during initial fleet construction.
Minbari ships that have been mothballed can be redeployed without having to spend the turn
preparing them because of the great care they provide for their mothballed fleets.
Minbari Protectorate starts the campaign with no shipyards (nor can they build any) and as a
protectorate of the Minbari. They can only make trade agreements with the Minbari and may patrol
their systems with fighters from bases. Tishats are the fighter of choice and Nails are considered
restricted deployment. Protectorate specific ships are constructed from mothballed hulls that are
given to the protectorate and refitted at bases as per the normal rules. The Minbari Federation is
responsible for protecting this empire from incursions and must patrol their systems with at least
one fleet. Protectorate agents gain no specific bonuses.
Narn Regime starts the campaign with one additional Weapon Tech. In addition all of their
systems have their normal defense ratings increased by 10% and Narns do not suffer unrest from
Military Build ups. The hatred between the Narn and Centauri is legendary and as such cannot
form any peaceful alliances with them alone during the course of the game except after the
Shadow War.
Pak ma ra freighters (not standard combat vessels) can carry 20% more cargo than standard
ones. Their combat vessels with cargo capacity can operate as their own supply ships making
breaking Pakmara supply lines virtually impossible. They also start the game with D3 research
points earned through debate on their world. They also do not suffer the full reduction in research
purchased from other races. Reduced purchased research points by 25% instead of 50%.
The Shadows are even more elusive since they do not need to operate from a home system.
They scatter their living ships throughout the systems and as the time that they will be needed
approaches they awaken. Shadow agents can be any race and found anywhere. Shadows use
their agents and their power to cause the other races to begin fighting one another by planting
false intelligence information.
Shadow ships may regenerate lost fighters at the rate of 6 fighters per campaign turn. Destroyed
tendrils are grown back after 3 full campaign turns. Shadows also follow the normal duration rules
that younger races follow and require to reenergize at a regeneration outpost for one turn.
Damaged shadow ships regenerate 6 structure boxes a turn. This is doubled if at a regeneration
outpost. The use of a phasing drives cannot be detected by any of the younger races and as such
the shadows suffer no modifier to being detected when they enter a system. Shadows are
considered to have a speed tech of 10.
Torata Regency starts with their initial colonies requiring food shipments and an additional barren
colony in their home system. They are short on military personnel and can only field 70% of their
normal military allotment. Their marines fight at a penalty of +1 to their attack rolls. If their leader is
assassinated, the Torata suffer only a +2 gain to unrest.

75

Vorlon Empire begins the game with 4 developed worlds and 1 home world. Vorlons have no
interested in expanding their empire and are waiting for the day that the shadows will return so
that the ancient battle can begin again.
Vorlon Dreadnoughts and Heavy Carriers are limited deployment. The much feared planet killer is
limited to only 3. Vorlon heavy fighters automatically eject their pilot safely. Vorlon observation
posts are scattered throughout the campaign map and can be activated by the Vorlons at any time
that they need a base of operations. Until they are activated they cannot be detected. Vorlons are
considered to have a speed tech of 10.
Vree Conglomerate begins the campaign with 2,000 additional credits. They also earn a +5%
bonus on any trade route they establish with another empire. The Vree may also build Xeecra
Trading Posts to further increase profit. A Xeecra increases the trade routes value by +10%.
Empires who establish trade routes also benefit from the bonus, but only half as much. With so
much to be gain, such trade routes are often the targets of raider attacks.
Xeecra Trading Posts maybe established in any friendly system provided the owning empire
agrees. The trading post increases the income of the system by 5%. The Vree also receive 5% of
the systems income and earn an additional 1D6 x 50 credits a turn for the Vree.
Vree may also create merchant fleets composed of Vymish Armed Traders and travel along the
jump routes trading goods with other races. Such fleets earn 1D3 x 50 credits every turn. Each
additional ship in the fleet beyond the first one adds + 1 to the roll. The earnings are not deposited
until the fleet returns to a Xeecra Trading Post or Vree System. Also a merchant fleet may not
earn credits if it is in a system with a trading post.

76

INITIAL ACTIONS STEP

Raider Activity Segment
GM rolls for raider activity and determines targets
Construction Allocation Segment
Allocate research points to developing new technology
Allocate construction of units
Purchase Agents
Guerrilla Units formed
Government Segment
Empires negotiate with each other
Empires choose Government Options
FLEET ACTION STEP
Fleet Orders Segment
Fleets are given combat orders and movement orders
Agents are given orders
Fleet Movement Segment
Fleets move and repairs on damage are completed
Fleet Intelligence Segment
Sensor rolls made and results revealed
Fleet Combat resolution Segment
Raiders Attack Shipping Lanes or Supply Lines
Phased Sneak Attacks Occur
Jump engagements are resolved
Assault shuttles launched during space battle may land and assault
Outer system conflicts resolved
Inner system conflict resolved
Core system conflicts resolved
Planetary Assault Segment
Planetary Bombardment
Guerillas Strike
Assault Forces attack
END OF TURN ACTIONS STEP
System Upkeep Segment
Government Options take effect
Systems produce credits, ores, maintenance, Q-40 and trade income is collected
Research points are collected
Hyperspace beacons status change
Unrest is calculated
Construction Completion Segment
Technology researched becomes available
Construction completed on units and bases
Marines and Army units available for transfer
Transfer segment
Shuttles and fighters may transfer between units
Marines and Ground forces may transfer between planets and ships in core world area
O-SATs become operational
Supply Lines resupply Units
Agents Report
Agents report success or failure of missions
Shadows Awaken
Shadows roll for ships that awake based on points earned

77

Game Master Section

System Creation
The game master must create each system that the players will encounter. The first thing that
needs to be determined is the type of planet that is in the core system theater. That is done by
rolling a D20 and consulting on the Planet Determination Table. The GM can also determine if
there is a second usable planet in a system by rolling a D10. On a roll of 1 there is a 2nd planet
that can possibly be used by the player and another world is required on the Planet
Determination Table. Each system contains 1D6 + 5 Planets. Each planet can have 1D6-2
Moons.
There is a good chance that each system will contain an asteroid belt. Roll a D20. On a roll of 1-5
there is a dense asteroid field present. On a roll of 6-10 there is a normal asteroid field and on 11+
there is no asteroids present in the system. Dense asteroids field rules are described in the B5
Wars Compendium. Normal asteroid fields have little to no effect on combat because they are so
spread out.
Another D20 is rolled to determine if the system has any unusual phenomena present. Consult the
Stellar Phenomena Table to determine the exact one present. If a First One Encounter is rolled
then the system is home to one of the first ones. Its advisable that the GM randomly roll for each
system as it is encountered by the players.
Planet Type Determination Table
D20 Roll
Planet Type
1-2
Developed
3-6
Agricultural
7-9
Barren
10-13
Uninhabitable
14-16
Mineral Rich
17-20
Terrestrial

Stellar Phenomena Table

D20 Roll
Stellar Phenomena
1
First one encounter
2
Dark matter Cloud
3
Gravity Well
4-5
Dust Cloud
6+
Nothing or Meteor Swarm

Mineral Deposits
Once the GM has the system created, he needs to determine the rating of the mineral deposits
that are present in the system. He does this by rolling a D10. Some planet types give a bonus to
this roll.
Mineral Deposit Quick Reference chart

Few
Good
Average
Abundant
Rich

Deposit Rating
Determination
(D10 Roll)
1-2
3-4
5-7
8-9
10

Ore Lifespan

Q-40 Deposit
Lifespan

Chance to become
Exhausted on D10

10 + 1D6
20 + 1D10
45 + 2D10
130 + 2D20
Unlimited

6 + 1D6
10 + 1D10
20 + 1D10
30 + 2D10
40 + 2D10

3+
4+
6+
8+
9+

78

Chance to produce
after deposit
becomes exhausted
9+
8+
6+
5+
4+

Battle Field Random Events

Not every battle will take place uninterrupted by an event. The GM should roll a D20 before each
battle between empires to determine if the battle will have an unexpected event that makes it
more difficult for one or both sides.
D20 Roll
1
2-4
5-6
7
8+

Battle Field Events

Result
First one encounter
EM Storm
Meter Swarm
Non Combatants in Area
Nothing

The events and how they could affect the combat is described in the following section.
First One Encounter: There is a random first one who is either present during the battle or
enters the battle on a random turn. If the system is home to one of the first ones then they
might simply just pass through the battlefield ignoring the combatants, unless they get shot
at. The GM should place an unknown ship counter and use the ship identification rules.
Should the system not be home to a first one, the players will most likely encounter the
Dark Knife. The Dark Knife will stay cloaked and observe the battle moving about the
board. It should be set up on turn 1 somewhere along the middle line of hexes of the
battlefield. This encounter would also use the ship identification rules and an unknown ship
counter. Only if the Dark Knife is shot at will it return fire. The GM should attempted to keep
the Dark Knife away from the combat as much as possible.
EM Storm: The battlefield is affected by an EM storm as described in the B5 Rules
Compendium. The storm will last the duration of the battle. The GM can also decide that
he wants the storm to start or end on a random turn (but not both). Roll a D10 and that is
the turn number in which the EM storm will start or end. This happens during the Initial
Actions Segment, at the Power Allocation Step.
Meteor Swarm: The battlefield is affected by a meteor swarm as described in the B5
Rules Compendium. The swarm will last the duration of the battle. The GM can also
decide that he wants the meteor swarm to start or end on a random turn (but not both) just
like an EM Storm.
Non-Combatants: There are civilian ships in the combat zone for either one of the empires
or possibly a third party. There will be D3 ships that start out in the middle of the zone
facing a random direction with a speed of 3. They will attempt to move off the board on a
friend side. If an empire makes an attempt at protecting their civilians then they earn a 10%
bonus to experience. Ignore this result if the system is unclaimed by any empire.
Nothing: The battle is played as normal with no special rules or weirdness.

79

Shadows
Unlike the Vorlons, which start with a massive fleet, the shadows must slowly build their numbers
over the course of the campaign by awakening ships that were hidden in the last war. At the start
of the campaign the shadows have only a few ships and D3+1 human agents. Roll 2D6 to
determine the number of vessels they have. After the number has been determined roll to see
what type of vessels the shadows have at their disposal. If the vessel rolled breaks any of the
deployment restrictions just reroll.
D6 Roll
1
2
3 or 4
5
6

Shadow Vessel Determination Chart

Shadow Vessel Result
Shadow Cruiser with fighters
Shadow Destroyer
Shadow Cruiser (D6 chance of Fighters: 1-4 No fighters, 5 or 6 Fighters)
Shadow Destroyer or Scout
Shadow Cruiser (D6 chance of Dreadnought: 1-5 Cruiser, 6 Dreadnought)
(Dreadnought has chance of having fighters: 1-3 No Fighters, 4-6
Fighters)

Each turn the shadows earn Chaos Points based on their actions and the situation of the galaxy.
Each of these points are automatically turned in at the end of the turn for a roll on the shadow
vessel determination chart. Once the shadows have begun to move openly (or turn 61 whichever
comes first), a shadow player should only get a single Chaos point, no matter how many they
earn. A single chaos point may be exchanged for a shadow agent, but only one agent may be
purchased per turn.
Shadow Chaos Point Table
Action taken by Shadows or circumstance
Cause conflict between two empires
Cause unrest through action taken
Conflict exists between any two empires
Having ships present in another system on the ground
Holding Zahadum
Make a deal with an empire
Winning a battle

Chaos Points Awarded

8
1 per point of unrest caused
1
1
2
3
2

When shadow vessels awaken they must head for Zahadum. For book keeping purposes GM
can randomly assign newly awakened shadows in small groups (no more than 4 vessels) to
random unoccupied systems and track their movement like any other task force. Exploration
vessels in the area that the shadows pass through will notice something living in hyperspace, but
will be unable to gain any information about them.
Before the shadows start moving openly they use phasing sneak attacks to conceal their identity
and take advantage of surprise. During this period when a shadow force attacks another race, that
races readiness level is reduced by one level for the battle. The shadows may only utilize a
maximum of 4 ships and must destroy all vessels and bases in the area or risk allowing the
younger races to be forewarned of their activities. They may only use more vessels when they
chose to move openly.
80

Broken Shadow Agents

Should an empire ever break a shadow agent the shadows begin to move openly. The turn that
the agent is broke the shadows attack the system with everything they have within moving
distance. After that they will continue their attacks on the rest of the galaxy.

Allying with the Shadows

Anytime an empire allies itself with the shadows they risk being blown apart by the Vorlons when
they go on a rampage. The typical agreement allows the empire to request shadows intervene or
attack a neighbor. Shadows will not fight along side of another race and must make such strikes
alone. Sometimes an empire will want advanced tech (in the case of EA this is the only option)
and that empire will gain a single variant modified with shadow technology. Like the Shadow
Omega the empire would have access to the shadow variant after 12 turns and it would be
considered uncommon. Such vessels must be built in secret shipyards.

Vorlons
Playing the Vorlons as a race is very different from playing any other empire. While the Vorlon
Empire does start with a massive fleet, the player actually only controls a small portion of it but as
time passes and he gets to control more of it. The player begins the game with 2 Vorlon agents
and a transport under his control.
Much like the Shadows, the Vorlons must earn points to gain access to their units. The Vorlons do
this by accumulating Order Points. The points are exchanged for agents or ships. Each ship
comes with its maximum fighter compliment and replacements are free. Vorlon transports and
agents are 1 order point each, Destroyers are 2, Light Cruisers are 3, Heavy Cruisers are 4 and
Dreadnoughts are 5.
Vorlon Order Point Table
Action taken by Vorlons or circumstance
Avoid direct involvement with any empire during a turn
Successful Intelligence Gathering Mission
Winning a battle without losing any ships

81

Order Points Awarded

2
1
2

Becoming a Major Power (Optional)

The path for a minor power to become a major power is very difficult and truthfully beyond the
scope of most campaigns. Rules have been included for the benefit of long running campaigns. A
minor power must have control of a number of systems equal to the average of all the current
major powers. In addition the empire must have earned 50 respect points through the course of
the campaign. Refer to the table below for the actions that lead to respect points.
Respect Points Award Conditions
Empire has achieved a new level of non-military tech
Empire has negotiated a new trade route
Empire has created a developed planet
Empire won a war against an equal or stronger opponent on their own
Each system possessed above the major power average

Once the minor power has achieved enough respect points they are considered a major power.
Each 3 turns their maintenance multiplier is increased by .1, until it reaches 1.5.

82